


Ivytale: Kill or Be Killed

by Miss_InkPen



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-24 12:23:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 110,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7508161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_InkPen/pseuds/Miss_InkPen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk is thrown into the world of monsters by an outside force guiding her to the Underground. When she is attacked by Flowey she is injured much worse than she realizes. As she travels through the Underground sparing the lives of monsters she is shortening her own life in the process. Will Frisk continue to play the pacifist or will she succumb to the Kill or Be Killed rules?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired first and foremost by Toby Fox and his game Undertale. Without that magnificent game I would never have been introduced to the wonderful world of the Underground.  
> This story is also inspired by Flowerfell AU, Sociopathic-ArchAngel's magnificent story Overgrowth, and jpangel97's wonderful story I'll Never Leave You. The story takes place in the original Undertale universe but it plays on people's desire to do the pacifist run. What happens when you are punished for sparing the monsters of the Undertale universe? Do you give in and take the Kill or Be Killed route or do you continue to defy that route and risk your own eventual death?  
> On a side note: Frisk is older in this than in the actual game because I kind of ship FriskxSans, that will be present later on in the story.

A young woman rode up to the base of Mt. Ebott in her old black car, intent on hiking up the mountain in order to blow off some steam. The woman, Frisk, was a shorter and petite woman who was all of 18 years old, although she could have easily passed as a 16 year old.

She had chocolate brown hair that went down to the small of her back in silky straight strands. Her small eyes were a lighter brown in appearance with flecks of dark brown scattered throughout. She almost always had a faint tan to her skin that gently complimented her hair and eyes, even in the winter months when the sun was scarce.

Frisk wore a blue and purple striped shirt with sleeves that came down just past her elbows, the fabric of the shirt was light and cool as the summer heat was rather bad this time of year. She also wore a pair of blue jean Capri pants that came down to her calves, and her shoes were a pair of brown tennis shoes. Over all with the way she dressed and with her bodies build Frisk appeared to be more child-like than adult-like, although she definitely acted older than her age.

After losing her parents in an accident at a young age and then living with her grandmother her whole life since that point, Frisk had developed into an adult more quickly than most children her age. Even so the heartache she felt right now was beyond her being an adult, she felt hurt and betrayed something she had never experienced before.

Her boyfriend of one year had just admitted to cheating on her, saying simply that she was too innocent and trusting and she shouldn’t be surprised it happened. In her anger she fled from him and drove away, driving and driving but not knowing where she was going.

An hour into the drive Frisk realized she was heading towards Mt. Ebott, some place that calmed her down. A hike, she realized, would be the perfect way to work off the anger and sadness she was feeling.

Frisk stepped out of her now parked car as she looked up at the towering mountain in front of her. A calm sense of peace befell the woman as she admired the mountain. Taking a deep breath Frisk made her way up the overgrown trail that traversed across the side of the mountain.

She lost track of time as her feet kept moving as if directed by another force, her mind thinking back occasionally to the reason she was here. Taking deep breaths she forced down the twitch of anger she felt towards her now ex-boyfriend. He didn’t deserve anger, he hadn’t said anything mean really, he had simply been honest about how he viewed Frisk.

His betrayal had hurt Frisk deeper than she wanted to admit, although it still didn’t mean she had to be angry and hate him. Kindness, after all, was what the world needed most rather than anger. Kindness might not get as much of a response from people, but knowing that there were kind people out there gave some people hope, and Frisk wanted to be important to someone, even if it was through just one kind act. Obviously her ex was not that person, and Frisk was beginning to finally accept that as she climbed up the mountain trail while in thought.

Making her way upwards was beginning to become a bit difficult as the higher she climbed the more overgrown the path became. Failing to notice however Frisk just continued on, until her feet became more tangled in the overgrowth as she went. The woman finally looked down to notice that the path was no longer there, looking back over her shoulder she saw a ways back where the path had become overgrowth and began to make her way back there. However the slight movement she made to turn around left her foot caught on an unseen tree root and she fell down before tumbling backwards onto her behind. Using a hand to try to break her fall she quickly realized there was no ground beneath her hand and she fell backwards into a deep, dark hole that lead down into the heart of the mountain.

As she continued falling Frisk realized there was no way she could survive this fall as the hole had seemed to open into a cavern below her. Closing her eyes as tears of fear gathered in them Frisk only hoped the impact would make her death instantaneous as she didn’t want to suffer with the pain from a fall that didn’t kill her but left her gravely injured.

Just as she closed her eyes and prayed for that, Frisk felt something gather around her, it felt like a warm protective blanket that seemed to wrap around her. Peeking one brown eye open, she saw faint wisps of purple dancing around her body before she landed with a faint “thud” on the ground below where she looked around, the purple wisps disappearing in an instant before Frisk fainted from the overwhelming panic she had experienced while falling.

Brown eyes slowly flickered open as she came to, staring upwards at what was now a small hole above her. Giving a slight groan, the woman sat up and rubbed her head gently before looking around her. Frisk firstly noticed the bed of bright yellow flowers that she had landed upon; looking at them she tilted her head and admired the bright petals and how they had managed to grow in the underground cavern with just the faintest hint of sunlight and rain reaching them.

Pulling her attention away from the golden blooms Frisk stood shakily to her feet and looked around her feeling a chill of fear crawl through her as she rubbed her arms to try to keep herself warm. She noticed a white stone doorway a short ways from her landing spot. “That’s odd…” she whispered softly before walking towards the doorway.

Walking through Frisk looked around, noticing almost right away a small patch of grass and a lone flower that poked out of it. This flower was different from the patch she had landed on however it was golden but had a white center. Approaching slowly Frisk held in a gasp as she realized the flower had a… face.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower!” It said grinning at Frisk who took a small step back as she looked at the creature. “Heh. You’re new to the Underground, aren’ tcha?” the flower asked it’s grin never wavering as it continued to look at Frisk who gave a slightly hesitant nod of her head. “Well golly gee, you’re probably really confused right now huh?” Again Frisk simply nodded too shocked to actually speak to the talking flower. “You’re awfully quiet! Anyways let me show you how things work down here in the Underground!” The flower spoke cheerfully before closing its eyes to focus its magical energy.

Frisk noticed lots of little white petals forming around Flowey’s golden petals, the woman took a step backwards away from the talking flower. “W-what are those?” she asked cautiously looking at the dancing petals.

“You can speak? Heh and here I thought you couldn’t! These are called “Friendliness Petals”! These will help make you stronger if you catch them all when I throw them at ya!” The happy go lucky tone of its voice made Frisk hesitant as she watched the petals still in the air then turn on their sides to shoot at Frisk. The woman stilled as she held her breath not sure that the flower was telling her the truth, however she had no time to react as the petals were shot at her suddenly from the darkness.

“Aaahhh!” Frisk screamed in pain as she felt most of the petals tear at her skin, she had seen a couple aimed for her chest and grasped at it as she felt the wind knocked out of her lungs before falling backwards; she was unable to see those petals turn a dark purple color and disappear into her chest.

Where the petals had struck her arms and her legs she saw cuts had formed and blood oozed from them. Pressing her hand to the right side of her neck she felt a damp sticky substance there, pulling her hand away she saw it was indeed blood. Her gaze suddenly snapped upwards as she looked at Flowey who laughed manically now, his kind looking face changing into a twisted, demonic looking one that grinned toothily at her now.

“Heeheehee! You sure are a stupid human! Who would believe that bull about friendliness petals! Here in the Underground the rules are kill… or be killed! Now get ready to die human! Heeheehee!” Flowey laughed again in the same crazy way as before as a force emanated from him, then a mini tornado of “petals” began to circle around Frisk, slowly closing in on her body, ready to tear into her tender flesh many times over. Giving a faint whimper, unable to scream from fear, Frisk covered her face with her arms and waited for the tearing of petals into her skin.

A loud blast echoed in Frisk’s ears as she dared to peek one eye out from under her arm. She saw balls of flames hitting the ground all around Flowey, knocking the flower away from her and causing the tornado of petals to begin to dissipate around her. Gasping now Frisk finally realized she had been holding her breath as she waited to be attacked. Her chest heaved up and down as she looked around for the source of the fireballs, that’s when she saw figure rushing up to where she sat on the ground. Frisk’s eyes grew wide as she saw what appeared to be a woman, with a goat head, approaching her.

“Oh my! Are you alright, child? What a terrible creature, torturing a poor, innocent youth like that!” she spoke in a shaky tone as she knelt down to observe Frisk better. The woman tried to back away, afraid that the same thing would happen that did with Flowey.

“Please my child, do not fear me. I mean you no harm. My name is Toriel, and I am the caretaker of the Ruins.” The goat woman, Toriel, spoke in a soft tone as she extended a fuzzy hand forward, placing it gently on Frisk’s arm in a comforting gesture. “Do you have a name, my child?” she asked looking at Frisk who seemed to visibly relax at the nonthreatening touch.

“Y-yes… my name is Frisk.” The woman replied shakily as she looked at the goat lady... no, Toriel with an appreciative gaze. Although she wasn’t sure why Toriel was referring to her as a child, perhaps it was because of her appearance, or maybe Toriel was quite a bit older than it seemed.

“What a beautiful name, Frisk. You are the first human in a very, very long time to fall into the Underground, I am glad I decided to check here today, it’s as though you were calling out to me.” Toriel spoke in a pleasant tone as she stood to her feet and extended her hand for Frisk to take. The woman accepted and was pulled gently to her feet.

“I am lucky you came then, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t.” Frisk responded in a weak sounding voice as she trembled slightly. Toriel nodded her head in agreement as she looked at the human again.

“If you follow me, I can lead you through the catacombs here so nothing else harms you and take you to the safety of the Ruins.” Toriel offered to Frisk, who gave her a slight nod of her head, scared that she would run into other monsters like Flowey who wanted to hurt her. His words echoed in her mind.  
_“Here in the Underground the rules are kill… or be killed!”_

The words were harsh and cold, but Frisk was sure that it wasn’t true. Kindness and happiness could solve things just as well as violence could. Perhaps some of the monsters down here needed to know that.

“Come with me.” Toriel said cheerfully as she turned around and lead Frisk out of the near pitch black room. Upon exiting, the two didn’t notice Flowey reappear in the patch of grass, watching Frisk with a dark look on his face.

“Heh… let’s see how well your human fares now… you can’t beat me at my own game Gaster. If she doesn’t kill… she WILL be killed, and the monsters will learn that kindness doesn’t always lead to happiness.” The flower muttered darkly under his breath before disappearing into the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

Frisk followed Toriel into the first room of the Ruins where she saw six odd stepping stones on the floor and the locked door at the end of the room. “The Ruins are filled with puzzles which are connected to the opening of doors. In order to go from room to room you must solve the puzzles that unlock the doors or lead to a safe path to cross the room. Follow me.” Toriel instructed as she walked over four of the stepping stones then flipped the switch that unlocked the door.

The next puzzle was easy as Toriel had marked which switches were necessary to trigger the way through. In the room after Frisk saw a dummy of sorts sitting off to the side. “Being a human down here in the Underground is dangerous. I cannot lie, there will be some monsters that will attack you because of who you are.” Toriel warned as she glanced at Frisk out of the corner of her gaze.

“I don’t want to fight them…” Frisk replied looking with wide eyes at the goat woman who gave her a relieved smile.

“Then do not fight them. Most monsters can be reached with kind words and actions, although for some it may take some time, but you seem to be a smart child… this dummy here is an immobile monster, however you cannot exit this room until you have spoken to him.” Toriel said in a gentle voice.

Frisk looked at her with a quizzical gaze before looking to the dummy then approaching it feeling silly talking to a dummy of all things, but if the door wasn’t going to open until she did this then she would have to. “Um… uh, h-hi there?” Frisk spoke in an uncertain tone as she looked at the dummy, which just looked back at her with a blank stare. Frisk stared at it with a curious look and just shuffled her feet slightly.

“Keep talking to it dear.” Toriel encouraged as she waited.

“Uh… you, um, look nice?” Frisk said uncertainly again, the dummy hummed softly and the door next to Toriel opened.

_*DUMMY WAS SPARED*_

Frisk froze in mid step as she glanced down at the injuries she had gotten from Flowey. They tingled slightly, like pinpricks against her skin. It didn’t really hurt but it was uncomfortable to feel, although she did feel a dull pain spread through her entire body for a moment before it faded away

 Brushing her finger tips over the area on her arm where it tingled; she felt a faint heat that slowly faded, a look of worry was given but Frisk shook her head trying to ignore the feeling before looking to Toriel with a slight smile.

“Very good, the Dummy was happy that you were so nice to him, that’s why the door opened.” Toriel smiled at the human before leading them through the door.

The next couple of rooms were easily passable as Toriel explained how the puzzles worked. Frisk followed behind her as she walked. Taking in the Ruins, she began thinking of asking Toriel if there was any way to return to the surface. She had to get home somehow; after all she couldn’t live down here. Passing off the thought, Frisk told herself she would ask Toriel when they arrived wherever the woman was taking her.

Toriel chatted happily to the human about this and that as Frisk followed behind quietly, she was really worn out from today and just wanted to curl up and sleep. “Frisk, you look exhausted, child. Why don’t you stay here and rest a bit? I will go on ahead and prepare a room for you back at my house. I can come back and get you shortly.” Toriel suggested looking at the sluggish human who gave a nod of her head. “Here I have a spare cell phone you may borrow, I’ll give you a call when I’m coming back to get you.” Toriel dug around in the pockets of her dress before handing the phone to Frisk.

“Oh… that’s okay I have my own cell phone I…” Frisk paused as she reached into her pocket to grab the phone before realizing it wasn’t there. “Oh… I… I guess I’ll have to borrow yours after all, mine is missing…” Frisk spoke in a disheartened voice before managing a small smile to Toriel and taking her phone.

Once Toriel was out of the room, Frisk gave an exhausted sigh as she sat down on the ground looking at the phone in her hands. She thought for sure she had brought her phone on her hike, so it was either up on Mt. Ebott, back down on the flowers where she landed or… perhaps she had left it in her car after all. She couldn’t remember now if she had grabbed it or not, and now she didn’t have a way to contact anyone once she found her way out of here.

Suddenly the phone in her hand vibrated and a soft ringing sound came from it. Hitting the answer button, Frisk put the phone up to her ear. “Hello?” she said in a soft voice.

“Hello Frisk, sorry to bother you while you’re resting. I was just making sure you were still alright. Also I thought maybe I’d make you something special to help restore your energy. Do you prefer Cinnamon or Butterscotch?” Toriel’s voice came from the phone causing Frisk to smile slightly. Toriel was very motherly; it made her feel a bit at ease about the situation.

“I like them both Toriel, but if you’re asking me to pick one I’d say Cinnamon.” Frisk answered politely.

“You would eat both of them though?” Toriel asked in a hesitant tone.

“Of course they are both delicious.” Frisk responded with a nod.

“Wonderful, I will be back to get you shortly Frisk.” Toriel’s tone was a happy one as she heard Frisk’s reply.

“Thank you, Toriel.” Frisk said as she hung up the phone. The young woman sighed again and stood, she felt a little better now, but something was still not right and she could tell. “Maybe I’m just tired…” she tried to convince herself that’s all it was but glanced at the cuts on her arms from the petals.

She inhaled sharply when she thought she saw little dark purple lines on her skin where the injuries were. “My imagination…” Frisk tried to convince herself as she shook her head although her hand subconsciously touched the injury on her neck hoping that the dark purple lines weren’t there as well.

Frisk stood quickly to her feet finding she didn’t want to sit still anymore; she wanted to make her way to Toriel’s home. The puzzles so far hadn’t been bad and Frisk was positive she could solve them on her own. Giving a confident nod Frisk tucked the phone away and made her way through the Ruins.

The next three rooms were pretty easy puzzles as Frisk made her way through them, although one of them involved a talking rock of all things. A few monsters did appear in the rooms but Frisk managed to run away from them without needing to fight them, which made her thankful.

After passing through a room containing a table and a very old piece of cheese Frisk cautiously entered the next room looking around. There was only one path through the room, and in the middle of a bridge laid a white ghost looking monster. Frisk hesitantly approached looking at the monster that appeared to be making “zzz” sounds to imitate snoring.

“Hello there.” Frisk said in a pleasant tone as she looked at the monster that stopped making the sounds for a moment before continuing. “May I pass through here please?” Frisk tried again as the noise paused again for just a moment before continuing. She blinked her eyes looking at the ghost and gave a slight sigh.

 _“Are they gone yet?”_ Frisk looked up as she thought she heard the ghost murmur something, she saw a watery eye peeking open looking her way. The ghost realized he had been caught and floated to an upright position. “You dare challenge Napstablook?... That’s me by the way…” the ghost spoke in a depressed sounding tone as he peered at Frisk who took a step back.

“N-no I’m not challenging you. I’d just really like to pass through please.” Frisk replied looking at the ghost who looked like he was crying, the puddle of tears at his feet rose up and formed tear shape projectiles, much like Flowey’s petals. Frisk easily dodged the tears however as they shot towards her slowly and Napstablook had his eyes closed the whole time.

“Oh… I missed…” Napstablook said in a depressed tone as he cried some more, he looked even more dejected if that was possible. Feeling bad for him Frisk blinked her eyes with a troubled frown.

“Um… maybe try attacking me with your eyes open? If you can see where you’re attacking you should be able to get me.” Frisk said trying to cheer him up.

“Oh… thanks… I’ll give that a try.” Napstablook said as tear projectiles rose up again this time he kept his eyes open and shot the projectiles at Frisk again who still managed to dodge the attack.

“Good job Napstablook! You almost got me, maybe try not just aiming at one spot that way I can’t avoid all of them.” Frisk said with an encouraging smile at the ghost. Napstablook blinked his eyes in surprise, his sad looking mouth turned up just a little with a hint of a small smile on his face.

“Heh… thanks… say you want to see something cool instead?” He asked in a tone that sounded just a little less depressed.

“Okay…”Frisk replied looking at the monster curiously as he began pulling his tears upwards out of the puddle but they went up past his head. Something was forming at the top of his head.

“I call it ‘dapper blook’.” Napstablook said in a gentle tone as a top hat began to form out of his tears a top his head. “Do you like it?” a hint of eagerness was in his gentle tone.

“Oh wow! That’s really cool Napstablook!” Frisk said with an amazed look on her face as she enjoyed his cool trick.

“Oh gee…” there was a faint hint of a blush on Napstablook’s cheeks as he looked at Frisk. “I usually come here to the Ruins because there’s nobody around… but today I was able to meet you… you’re really nice… thank you.” Napstablook spoke with a faint cheerfulness in his tone, even though it was hard to detect.

“You’re welcome Napstablook, I’m glad I could help you.” Frisk replied with a cheerful smile on her face.

“I’m sorry I’m holding you up when you are going somewhere. Here I’ll get out of your way…” the ghost said with a hint of a small smile as he faded out of sight. “I hope I get to see you again…” his voice echoed faintly as he vanished from sight.

_*NAPSTABLOOK WAS SPARED*_

Frisk gasped slightly as the tingling sensation from before returned to the cuts on her body; she crossed her arms over her stomach as a small surge of pain shot through her body, this one a bit stronger than the last. “W-what?” she gasped softly as she was immobilized by the pain for a moment, barely able to even breath.

Gasping slightly as she tried to get her breath back, Frisk stood up and looked around. What was happening to her? Looking at the cuts, Frisk bit her bottom lip swearing the dark purple lines had began to spread just a little bit. “I need to get out of here…” Frisk whispered as she made her way quickly out of the room and through the next one.

She looked hesitantly at the Froggits that sat in the hall but they all just stared at her curiously.  
“Thank you for being merciful…” one of them croaked just as she passed through the door out of the room, glancing back over her shoulder Frisk smiled slightly before continuing onwards.

The puzzles that came next were not too difficult; it didn’t take long for Frisk to figure them out. In the process she found a cute old faded ribbon hidden amongst the leaves. Feeling a strange connection to the object she picked it up and stuck it into her pocket, deciding to look at it later.

She now found herself in a room that went one of two ways. As Frisk turned to go north she could smell the scent of cooking food, meaning that Toriel was probably over there, looking the other way Frisk continued on down the hall to the right out of curiosity.

She saw another Froggit sitting near a door, it looked at her curiously. “Toriel just came from here recently, she should be back home by now.” It informed her as she walked up to it.  
“Thank you.” Frisk replied pleasantly but continued out the door anyways.

Her eyes grew wide as she stepped outside of the Ruins for the first time since the fight with Flowey. The outside of the Ruins showed the Underground in all its glory as a giant city filled the horizon. She could see towers and walls in the front and in the distance tall buildings filled her sight.

“Amazing…” Frisk whispered softly as she looked out over the balcony she stood on. Glancing over as something caught her eye, Frisk noticed a toy on the ground and picked it up, thinking maybe it belonged to someone Toriel knew.

Turning around Frisk made her way back to go in the other direction quickly. Entering the room she saw an impressive but bare black tree in front of her and heard Toriel say something in a panic from beyond the tree. It was then the phone she borrowed from Toriel rang in her pocket and the goat lady looked around the tree surprised to see her guest had made it all this way. “How did you get here, Frisk? Did anyone hurt you on the way?” Toriel said in a slightly panicked tone as she looked over the young woman with a worried gaze.

“No, no. Everything is fine Toriel. I’m alright.” Frisk replied smiling at the woman in front of her.

“I apologize for leaving you alone for so long, I just wanted to make sure everything was in order before you arrived. You should have called me…” Toriel looked at the human with a worried and slightly hurt gaze.

“I didn’t want to be a bother Toriel, besides the puzzles were not that hard, and the monsters here aren’t that scary. I actually rather liked their company, and in the end they seem to like me at least a bit…” Frisk replied trying to calm Toriel down. The goat lady blinked her eyes at Frisk before managing a weak smile.

“Well why don’t you come in child, I can help tend to those wounds that horrible flower gave you.” Toriel suggested as the two of them walked towards the entrance to her home. Toriel handed Frisk a golden star like charm on a chain and then pointed to a similar statue near the front of her house. “This is a magical healing spot. As long as you have that charm on your body you can step up to the healing spot and press your hand against it and your injuries and weariness will heal.” Toriel explained to Frisk, who stepped forward now and placed her hand on the stone statue.

She closed her eyes as she felt her whole body grow warm, upon opening her eyes a worried look crossed her face as she saw the wounds had not fully healed, a scar remained for each one as a reminder of the attack. Frisk saw now that the dark purple lines were indeed spreading from the injuries, they were small now, but it still worried Frisk as she looked at them. The woman didn’t want to worry Toriel though so ignoring the problem for now she looked back to Toriel and gave an appreciative smile.

“Thank you Toriel, I appreciate the help.” Frisk bowed her head in appreciation before following her into her house.

A delicious smell teased Frisk’s nose as she walked in. “Can you smell that? I am making Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie just for you, child.” Toriel smiled brightly at her guest as she gave a soft laugh. “I was hoping maybe we could celebrate your arrival here. I want you to have a nice time living in the Underground, so I thought snail pie would be a bit too over ambitious.” Toriel clapped her hands together happily missing the look of surprise that crossed Frisk’s face.

“Uh… b-but Toriel I…” Frisk started only to be cut off by the goat lady’s enthusiastic voice.

“I also have another surprise for you, Frisk. Follow me.” She said cheerfully leading a stunned Frisk down the hall. “Here it is a room of your very own! I hope you will like it.” Toriel gazed fondly at the door and looked as if she was remembering something as she patted Frisk on the shoulder.

Frisk opened her mouth to speak again, feeling the need to argue with the goat lady about her staying here. “Oh! I think something is burning! Please make yourself at home, dear!” Toriel said as she ran off towards the kitchen to check on her pie, Frisk looked after her blinking her eyes in confusion as she took everything in that had just happened in the last five minutes.

Giving a sigh, Frisk opened the door to the bedroom and looked inside. It was a child’s bedroom, the bed looked a bit small for an adult, but at the moment Frisk wasn’t going to complain as she lay down on the bed staring up at the ceiling before putting her hand over her face and giving a soft groan of despair. What was she going to do about Toriel? She couldn’t stay here… she wanted to get back to the surface. The pathway to the way up must be somewhere in the ruins. “I… I have to talk to Toriel. I need her to understand that I’m not a child and she cannot keep me here.” Frisk said as determination shined brightly in her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Frisk attempts to leave the Ruins so that she might find a way to get back home. Will she be able to convince Toriel of her abilities? At the same time the odd uncomfortable sensation she experienced when sparing the training dummy and Napstablook lingers in the back of Frisk's mind as she tries to figure out exactly what is going on with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters after two have grown quite long, I don't know if it's too much but I was struggling with finding good stopping points. This story relies heavily on Frisk's interaction with the main characters and the characters that you cannot flee from for scripted battles, so basically I've been going heavily off of what happens in the actual game while taking some creative liberties with some things.

Frisk sat up from the bed, the sudden determination she felt drove back her weariness. She didn’t feel tired anymore. Standing to her feet Frisk determinedly made her way in the direction Toriel had gone; as she entered the room she saw it was a combination living room and dining room.

Toriel sat in a big fluffy armchair reading a book, she looked up at Frisk as she entered and gave the woman a smile. “Hello Frisk, the pie is not done cooling yet. You must be tired, why not rest while it cools?” Toriel suggested as she glanced back down at her book.

“Thank you, but I’m feeling pretty rested actually.” Frisk replied with a smile as she sat down in one of the dining chairs.

“O-oh… well perhaps you’d like to chat then while we wait for the pie to cool?” Toriel replied looking up from the book she was reading and smiling at Frisk, although it appeared to be a slightly strained smile.  
“I want you to know that I’m so glad to have someone here with me, a friend. I have so many books that I’ve been waiting to share with someone. There are also lot’s of beautiful places here in the Ruins that I want to show you, now that you are safe from monster attacks you don’t need to worry about wandering around.” Toriel spoke in a slightly strained happy tone as she looked at Frisk with a gaze that said she had a feeling she knew what Frisk wanted.

Frisk sighed softly and looked at Toriel not responding right away. “P-perhaps we can share our dreams, we can be friends. You know I’ve always wanted to be a teacher; I love the idea of educating children and watching their bright faces shine with knowledge. What… what about you, Frisk? What have you aspired to do?” Toriel asked as she looked at the woman with a slightly hopeful gaze.

Frisk held in another sigh and decided to humor Toriel and answer her question. “I’ve always thought about being a writer. To help others visit far off places just by opening the cover of a book. Although… I’d like to do something that helps people as well; I’ve always felt as though I was meant to help others…” Frisk said in a calm, gentle voice as she looked at Toriel who was staring at her attentively.

“That sounds wonderful, it sounds like something I think would suit you well. Being a writer I mean, you seem so smart…” Toriel said brushing off the last part as best as she could. Frisk blinked her eyes and stared at the goat lady who hummed softly now as she went back to reading her book.

“Toriel… please I want to go home…” Frisk spoke softly now, she winced as the humming stopped abruptly and Toriel looked at her with a panicked gaze.

“Child, what do you mean? This IS your home now. You are safe here.” Toriel paused before speaking again. “I know, would you like to hear about the book I am reading? As a writer I’m sure you’re curious about it.” Toriel regained her composure and looked at Frisk with a forced smile.

“How can I exit the Ruins? Toriel… please tell me.” Frisk begged in a gentle tone looking at Toriel with a distressed look.

“H-how about I tell you some interesting snail facts Frisk? Did you know that snails sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature?” Toriel said trying to brush off Frisk’s request, hoping if she ignored the questions long enough the woman would give up with the idea of leaving the Ruins.

“T-Toriel, please I want to go home. How do I leave the Ruins… please, Toriel?” Frisk pressed on wanting an answer so she might keep her determination to get home.

“Frisk I… I will return shortly. Please don’t follow after me… for your sake.” Toriel spoke in a shaken tone as she closed her book and stood quickly leaving the room. Frisk watched her go; as she did she felt her chest tightening.

“I have to follow her…” Frisk whispered to herself, somehow knowing if she didn’t she would never escape the Ruins. Once Toriel had exited the room Frisk followed silently after her. She just barely caught sight of Toriel going down the stairs to her basement.

Frisk followed quietly down the stairs; however she could not stop her foot steps from echoing as she walked across the basement floor. Frisk paused as she saw Toriel standing in front of her with her back to the woman. “You wish to know how to return ‘home’ do you not?” Toriel said in a sad sounding tone.

“Yes…” Frisk replied quietly.

“Ahead of us lies the exit to the Ruins. A single door… a one-way exit to the rest of the world of the Underground, I am going to destroy the door that leads out there. Please do not try to stop me.” Toriel said as she started marching determinedly towards the door.

“T-Toriel?! W-wait!” Frisk spoke in a panic running after the goat lady as they made their way down the long corridor, Frisk not quite being able to stop Toriel.

“You know… every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it… again and again. They come… they leave… they die.” Toriel spoke in a forceful tone, her anger starting to surface at the unfairness of everything. She had lost many children, now she had a chance to have a friend… and they wanted to leave her as well.

Frisk didn’t know what to say. “You naïve child… if you leave the safety of the Ruins… then you will die as well. The monsters… Asgore… they will all kill you without a second thought.” Toriel said firmly as she stared ahead.

“Toriel! You can’t destroy the only way out. Please!” Frisk begged gently as she followed after the goat lady.

“I am only trying to protect you Frisk. I want you to understand all I want is to… protect you. Go back upstairs before you get hurt…” Toriel warned in the same forceful tone as before as she started walking again in that fast pace. “I will not warn you again… Frisk please listen to me…”

“Toriel! Please you need to believe in me, you have to believe I can do this.” Frisk begged trying to grab the woman’s fuzzy hand but it was pulled forcefully from her grasp.

“So you want to leave that badly? Hmph… you… you’re just like the children that have left me. There is only one solution to this Frisk. Prove to me that you are strong enough to fight Asgore. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive…” Toriel said in a low tone as she stared at the door angrily for a moment before spinning around to face Frisk, a bluish fireball glowing in her hand.

Frisk took a step back surprised by the sudden change in demeanor. Not expecting the fireball, she just barely managed to dodge the attack that was launched at her. Before she could recover Frisk felt Toriel’s hand strike her face knocking her back, only to be engulfed by a fireball. She felt the heat of the attack eating away at her as she screamed in agonizing pain while trying to put the fire out.

Frisk shot up out of the bed, sweat beading her brow as she panicked still feeling the pain of the fire that had engulfed her. “W-what?” Frisk managed to ask as she looked around the child’s room she had been in only a short time prior to what had just happened at the door.

The feeling of the fire that had engulfed her finally left. Standing shakily to her feet Frisk made her way out of the room. Looking around cautiously she approached the living room to see Toriel still sitting in her chair reading a book, she looked up at Frisk as she entered and gave the woman a smile.

“Hello Frisk, the pie is not done cooling yet. You must be tired, why not rest while it cools?” Toriel suggested as she glanced back down at her book. Frisk was silent as a sense of de’ja vu washed over her.

“T-the pie?” Frisk said in a slightly confused tone.

“Yes, the Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie I made for you? Don’t tell me you forgot…” Toriel looked up at the woman feeling a bit dejected that her kindness was already forgotten.

“N-no… but… um… Toriel… did, did you destroy the door to the Underground?” Frisk asked in a panic, feeling very confused at the situation. The look that Toriel suddenly gave her had Frisk taking a step backwards.

“How did you find out about that door? Did you go downstairs?” Toriel snapped as she stood quickly to her feet. Standing at her full height and looking very angry had Frisk feeling rather intimidated with the goat lady.

“I-I…” Frisk swallowed in confusion as Toriel stalked past her.

“Do not follow after me Frisk. This is for your own good.” Toriel said coldly looking over her shoulder. Frisk gasped loudly and ran after her.

The conversation with Toriel was nearly identical on her part, Frisk tried to reason with her as they went through the same conversation as before. However they were back standing at the door of the Ruins again and Toriel was demanding that Frisk prove she was strong enough to survive.

The fire attack didn’t surprise Frisk this time as it seemed to be the same motions as before. She managed to avoid the first two attacks, knowing that they were coming now. “Toriel, please! I won’t fight you! I can’t do that to you, you’re my friend!” Frisk pleaded as she tried to avoid the attacks.

Toriel was quick in her attacks however, she also did something new that Frisk wasn’t expecting. She sent a line of fireballs at the woman who didn’t duck in time; she felt the heat of the magic fireball eating away at her again. She heard the scream come from her again as she withered on the ground in immense pain while the fire ate away at her.

“I told you this would be how it would end…” Toriel’s voice echoed sadly in Frisk’s mind as blackness engulfed her again.

Again Frisk woke up in the bed upstairs this time a slight scream came from her as she still felt the magical fire burning painfully through her skin. She clasped her hands over her mouth as she felt tears form in her eyes.

Why was time resetting? Why wasn’t she dying from these attacks even though she should have been? Every time she died would she always be reset to a point prior? This pain wasn’t normal; it lingered and felt as though she was still dying. When it finally left her and she had regained her breath and calmed herself, Frisk gently stepped on the floor and took several deep breaths trying to keep herself calm.

So she had learned that Toriel was never going to let her through without proving she was strong enough to handle the outside world. Frisk would not fight Toriel though; the goat lady was just lonely it seemed, almost to the point of being obsessive with keeping her humans here. Toriel deserved mercy and Frisk would not hurt her. She already knew her three attacks now; the only thing that would catch Frisk off guard was if she had another attack.

Frisk was unsure if she could take another death without breaking down and letting it go for tonight so that she could rest up. Determined as she was, physical pain was extremely exhausting, especially when it appeared to linger after time reset.

Frisk approached Toriel and things went pretty much the same as the first time, they talked, Toriel became edgy and defensive, then she threatened to destroy the door out of the Ruins while Frisk begged her to reconsider. To Frisk it seemed that Toriel didn’t remember killing her twice now, nothing was ever brought up, no sign of remorse was shown. She just acted as if it hadn’t happened, and in theory if time was resetting Frisk realized that it HADN’T happened during this timeline yet.

Frisk dodged attacks, she tried to talk sense into Toriel; she promised her friend she would not attack her. Toriel slowly seemed to be wearing down, the anger in her gaze fading to sorrow.

“What are you doing?” she yelled out in a somewhat angry sounding tone. “Attack back or you’ll be killed.” She stated firmly.

“Toriel there are better solutions than violence. I won’t attack you.” Frisk stated just as firmly, although she physically felt exhausted from the battle, she wouldn’t let Toriel know this, she couldn’t show weakness now, not when she was finally starting to break through to the goat lady. She hadn’t been putting her heart into her attacks the last couple of times she had attacked, the fireballs were missing on their own without Frisk having to avoid much.

“If you won’t attack me then run away. You won’t win. If… you keep doing this… there will be nothing left of you…” Toriel warned, although her voice wavered revealing the pain she was feeling at doing this.

Her next attack showed it too as the fireballs did little to get near Frisk at all. Breathing heavily, Frisk shook her head. “What does doing this prove Frisk? What are you trying to prove to me by showing me Mercy when I’m trying to kill you?” Toriel asked as the pain grew.

“I’m showing you that you don’t need to live in a world where it’s kill or be killed. Toriel I can do this, I can help the other monsters of the Underground if you just let me pass!” Frisk tried again now that her defenses were down. Toriel’s eyes grew watery as she looked at the human who spoke to her… her friend.

“Heh… I’m pathetic… I can’t save anyone, no matter how hard I try…” Toriel finally broke down as tears filled her eyes and spilled over, the magic fireball she had in her palm flickered weakly  then vanished. “You… you would not be happy here would you? That’s why you have to go, so you can find your place in the world. The Ruins are small once you get used to them. I… I understand Frisk.” Toriel sighed softly in defeat, her sadness radiating off of her as she turned to face the door.

“If you truly wish to leave the Ruins I will no longer stop your progress. Please remember though when you leave… never come back here again.” She said in a tear filled voice as she turned around to face Frisk one last time. “Please understand my request… my friend…” She murmured in a low voice, wiping the tears on her fuzzy hand before taking Frisk into a tight hug. “Good bye…” she whispered trying to keep the tears at bay before walking past Frisk as she stared now at the door in front of her.

“Good bye Toriel. Thank you, for everything.” Frisk replied glancing over her shoulder at the retreating figure.

_*TORIEL WAS SPARED*_

Once Toriel was out of sight, Frisk turned around to look at the door. Suddenly a wave of agonizing pain hit her. Frisk gasped as she felt as though she was stabbed through the heart. Her scars burned with a searing pain unlike the tingling uncomfortable feeling from before. The woman hunched over and nearly felt herself grow sick as the pain seemed to come from her very soul. She screamed, she cried and she found herself succumbing to darkness as it clouded her vision and she fainted for a short time.

Blinking her eyes open, Frisk no longer felt the pain as it had passed. She was breathing heavily and covered in a thin layer of sweat as she tried to get up, her legs feeling numb and like lead. It was then that she looked down at the scars on her arms and gasped in horror as the dark purple lines had grown immensely.

On her arms they had taken over part of her wrist and forearm, on her legs they had spread down to her ankles and slowly up her calves. The lines spreading like ivy, although she touched her skin and felt nothing that indicated it was there. She didn’t know what the right side of her neck and face looked like right now, but if the rest of it was anything to go off of then she would bet they had spread quite a bit.

“What is this? What is it doing to me? Every time I show mercy to someone they grow, but with Toriel it felt like I had spared 1,000 monsters not just one…” Frisk muttered as she looked at her arms again.

“Someone out there must know… I have to keep going… maybe I can find my answer…” she murmured softly forcing her tired body to stand up, although she did wobble a little bit in the process.

Frisk pushed open the door to the Underground and peered out of it. She saw a long hallway with a purplish archway at the end that lead to the outside world. Taking a deep breath, not sure what to expect in the hallway, Frisk made her way through the door.

She walked with determined steps towards the exit trying to forget the pain that had just racked her body. Cautiously, Frisk peeked her head through the door seeing a patch of grass. Hesitantly she approached it only to jump back fearfully as Flowey reappeared glaring hard at the woman.

“You must think you’re so clever huh? You think you can spare these monsters and become their ‘friend’?” Flowey sneered at the woman before giving a maniacal chuckle. “I’m going to put a stop to that here and now! I was serious when I said it’s a kill or be killed world here! If you keep sparing the monsters you will keep experiencing that pain you just felt, except it will grow worse and worse with every monster you spare!” Flowey said smugly looking at the human.

Frisk’s eyes shot wide open. “What… what did you do to me? Why am I in so much pain when I spare a monster?” Frisk asked in a shaky voice looking at Flowey with a hurt gaze.

“Hee hee hee! I’m just making sure if you play by your own rules you get punished! You’re body is infected with a poison from my petals. It’s inactive when you kill things, but the minute you spare someone it spreads through your body slowly taking it over! Now you’ll HAVE to kill others if you want to live!” Flowey cackled as he looked smugly at the human who blinked her eyes at him.

Frisk took a deep breath as she processed what the flower had said. She wasn’t sure if she could handle the pain, but Frisk wasn’t going to kill anyone, no one she had met in her life deserved death, not even this terrible little flower in front of her deserved to die. The woman smiled at Flowey gently.

“I won’t do it… no matter how much pain I’m in I won’t kill anyone down here.” Frisk said firmly as she looked at Flowey with her smile still intact and a hint of seriousness to her tone. He just glared back at her, feeling angry that she would still be willing to play by her own rules, even now that she knew his rules, knowing that her death would be imminent if she continued to spare others.

“That’s fine. Thanks to the mysterious power you have, when ever time restarts the pain of your death lingers with you, as the poison spreads you will feel more and more pain after each restart.” Flowey snorted at the woman whose eyes widened again as she became more shocked than before.

“Y-you… you know about the resets!? Toriel didn’t remember anything, how is it you do?” Frisk asked in a panicked tone, hoping to get another answer out of the flower who just glared at her.

“I’m done talking… we’ll meet again Frisk… we’ll see how you fare until then… remember it’s a kill or be killed world for you.” Flowey spoke in a dark tone as he continued to glare at the woman before disappearing into the ground. Frisk launched herself at the ground to catch him before he could disappear however she was too late as he vanished before she could grab him.

Sitting on the ground now, Frisk looked at the spot where Flowey had been and then at the dark purple lines that had taken over parts of her body. “No matter what I won’t kill anyone, even if I have to suffer through the pain 1,000 times over. I’ve always believed that kindness is the most power weapon anyone can use, and down here I truly believe it’s the truth.” Frisk stated to herself firmly.

 _“But will it be enough?”_ a little doubting voice in the back of her head chimed in evilly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we've come to the part of the story where the two main characters meet. Sans will be appearing in the story a lot more often then then OC Sans does in game. This is the part that's probably inspired most by the Flowerfell AU. Even when playing the game I never thought the MC should have to go at it alone. I'm still going to try to stick to keeping the characters personalities as close to the original characters as I can. Sans, in my opinion, is a neutral character, which means he has both his good and his bad moments. I hope everyone enjoys Chapter 4 of Kill or Be Killed.

Bracing herself for what would come; Frisk stepped through the gateway of the Ruins and passed into the world beyond them that would lead her home. The world outside was covered with snow and the breeze that blew through was cold and chilled Frisk to the bone.

Wishing she now had a warmer shirt, Frisk shivered slightly as she ran her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. “Can’t stand here for long… I’ll freeze if I do…” Frisk muttered softly to herself as she walked forward now, the trees on her left side seemed very dense causing her to feel a bit of claustrophobia as she glanced around. Frisk felt an odd sensation of being watched as well, trying to brush it off as paranoia because of what just happened, she started walking forward.

Hidden from view Sans the Skeleton stood observing the exit of the Ruins with a bored grin on his face. His hands were tucked deeply into the pockets of his navy blue jacket. He hadn’t been planning on doing sentry work already, he was just on his way to visit the door that his friend in the Ruins stayed behind, but even from all the way out here he could hear a commotion in there.

Finally the fireworks had calmed down to a quiet lull which is why Sans decided to stay where he was and watch for what happened next. To his surprise he watched as the first human in quite some time emerged from the shelter of the Ruins.

She wasn’t too much taller than he was it seemed, maybe a foot if that. He took note of her appearance briefly, but what intrigued him most at the moment was the right side of her face and neck that he saw briefly when she looked around. Thin deep purple lines appeared scrawled across her lightly tanned skin. They came up her neck to the lower part of her cheek, they also appeared to be stretching downwards towards her collar bone. _“Heh, is that a new fashion with humans now? Kind of funny.”_ Sans pondered silently to himself.

 Taking a better look at the human now, Sans’s eye socket raised in curiosity as she walked past him. It had always been the kiddo’s that had passed through the Ruins and into the world of the Underground. This girl wasn’t a girl, but a woman, an adult, something he hadn’t been expecting that was for sure. She looked damn exhausted from whatever had happened… and Sans had a good hunch just what had happened.

He had mysteriously found himself transported back in time, several times. He knew he was one of a very, very few that actually remembered and recognized the alterations in the timeline; the only other one he knew of was a pretty annoying Flower that usually managed to get under his skin at least a little. That Flower had also been the cause of the timeline resets for the longest time. However this situation appeared different.

“For all the trouble you seemed to have caused in there, let’s see if your SOUL is really the right one Sugar.” Sans muttered under his breath as his white pupils disappeared from his eye sockets. A strange energy surrounded the skeleton as his left eye socket took on a faint blue glow. The pupil had returned but now it was an ocean blue color rather than its normal white.

Using his magic he could see a faint glow of the woman’s SOUL in her chest, its bright red halo that surrounded it indicated she had the right color SOUL. Drawing his magic power back, Sans energy returned to normal and the magic faded away.

“Hmm… Hopefully Paps will be able to have some fun before Undyne learns about the human. I think I know a way to cheer him up.” Sans’s grin shifted from bored to interest as he watched the woman a moment longer before leaving his hiding spot to quietly follow behind her.

Frisk rubbed her arms with her hands again as the odd sensation of being followed still clung to her, glancing backwards she didn’t see anyone behind her. Taking a deep breath the woman kept walking forward, she stepped carefully over a branch in the middle of the road and continued on, coming to a stop only when she heard the cracking sound of someone else stepping on the branch.

Whirling around quickly Frisk looked behind her to see nothing, her chest heaved slightly as she felt anxiety grip her. Fear appeared to be her constant companion as of late. Taking a deep breath she turned back around and started walking a bit faster trying to figure out where she was.

Frisk kept making her way forward as a bridge with a weird object over it came into view. A puzzled look crossed the woman’s face as she approached the bridge and saw what appeared to be bars lining either side of the wood planks for the bridge. Just as she was approaching it to get a better look Frisk froze as she heard the sound of someone walking behind her now, before stopping near her. Frisk’s whole body tensed up.

“Human.” A male voice spoke from just over her shoulder. “Don’t you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and let’s shake hands…” the voice instructed calmly behind her. Frisk bit her lower lip as her heart raced slightly.

Turning around she nervously looked behind her as she saw a skeleton about a foot shorter than her standing there grinning at her with one eye socket closed while the other had a small white pupil that observed her. He had one hand tucked deeply into the pocket of his navy blue jacket which had a black stripe down the center, while the other hand was extended out for her. Under the jacket he wore a white shirt of some sort, he also wore a pair of midnight blue shorts and what appeared to be light pink tennis shoes.

Frisk blinked her eyes taking in his appearance before her gaze returned hesitantly to meet his. “Come on… what’s the worst that could happen?” He asked looking at her tense appearance.

Frisk took a breath, not sure what to expect, and extended her hand out to shake the skeleton’s. She flinched slightly as he grasped her hand holding it in place while a farting sound echoed around them. Frisk blinked her eyes in shock, as she watched the skeleton in front of her chuckle at his joke.

“Heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It’s an oldie but a goodie if ya ask me.” he said putting his hand into his pocket now as he looked at Frisk who appeared to stifle a slight laugh of relief. “Anyways, you’re a human aren’t ya? That’s hilarious.”

“It is…?” Frisk asked him a quiet voice as she tried to recover from her moment of panic.

“Kind of, yeah… I’m Sans the Skeleton. I’m a sentry who is supposed to be on watch for humans right now.” Sans replied as he looked at Frisk. She was having a hard time reading his expressions since he was nothing but bones, so she wasn’t sure if she should be worried about him or not.

“O-oh…” Frisk said nervously not sure how else to respond to the skeleton.

“Ya know what though; I’ll tell ya a secret… I don’t really care about capturing anyone. Now my brother, Papyrus, he’s a human-hunting fanatic.” Sans chuckled slightly at the thought of how Papyrus would react to this human.

Glancing past the woman he saw a red scarf fluttering in the breeze up ahead. “In fact I think he’s just up there. I have an idea human, follow me through these bars. Just go right through. My bro is the one who made this trap but he definitely made the gaps in between the bars too big.” Sans said as he lead the way through the bars, Frisk followed hesitantly not sure what Sans idea actually was.

Frisk followed after Sans as he moved forward; would he deliver her right to his brother? Would there be another fight, Frisk was still exhausted from the battle with Toriel, and another fight so soon would leave her barely able to move… she just needed time to rest. What if she turned around and ran off before Sans could do anything.

Looking up she saw a splotch of red in the sea of white approaching them. “Oh no…” Frisk whispered softly knowing she was stuck now.

“Hey, if you move quickly you can duck into the snow fort next to my sentry station before my brother gets here.” Sans said glancing over at Frisk, who looked at him with a surprised gaze. “No time to be surprised Sugar, you better hide quickly.” He suggested again as the woman jumped at the chance and hid inside of Sans’s snow fort.

Frisk poked her head up briefly for just a moment to get a look at the approaching skeleton. He was at least a good two to three feet taller than Sans was, and wore a silvery, thin chest plate. He wore a black shirt under the chest plate, and black pants as well. His scarf, gloves and boots were all a bright red color.

Before she could be seen peering at Sans’s brother she ducked back down into the snow fort. Frisk pressed herself against the wall hoping to stay out of view.

Sans stood in the middle of the road now looking ahead as Papyrus approached him. “‘Sup bro?” Sans greeted his brother cheerfully.

“YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP,’ BROTHER! IT’S BEEN A WHOLE EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES!” Papyrus responded to Sans cheerful greeting, his voice filled with irritation.

Frisk flinched slightly at the loudness of Papyrus’s voice. “ALL YOU’VE BEEN DOING IS HANGING AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THE WHOLE TIME?!” Papyrus yelled waving his arms around in frustration at Sans lack of work ethic.

“Building a snow fort… it’s pretty cool. Want to check it out?” Sans said chucking at his own joke as he winked at his brother. Frisk covered her mouth to stop herself from groaning at the lame pun. Papyrus, however, blinked his eyes and then groaned out loud at Sans’s pun.

“THAT WAS TERRIBLE! AND NO, I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR BUILDING SNOW FORTS!” Papyrus snapped as he stamped his foot rather than waving his arms in irritation. “WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?!? WE NEED TO BE READY!”

“Relax bro. I’m sure any human would be… chilled to the bone… to meet ya.” Sans said trying to distract Papyrus now. Frisk forced back a slight giggle at the pun, as she shook her head.

“SANS! I MUST BE THE ONE TO CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL GET EVERYTHING I DESERVE! RESPECT… RECONGITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!” Papyrus hit his gloved hand on the silver chest piece he wore as he stared off into space with a starry eyed gaze in his eye sockets.

“PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, ‘FRIEND?’ I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!” Papyrus held his hands together in front of his chest now as his starry eyed gaze remained. Frisk was fighting with herself internally to stop herself from bursting out laughing at the absurdity of the last comment Papyrus made. Sans just shrugged at his brother and grinned.

“Hmm… maybe a snow fort would help make you even cooler.” He suggested looking at his brother who stared at him before stamping his foot in frustration again.

“SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! MR. LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AT YOUR STATION AND GOOF OFF! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!!!” Papyrus said in an exhausted tone as he glared at his brother.

“Paps relax. I’ve gotten a ton of work done…”

“SANS!!!”

“A skele-ton.” Sans chuckled at his own joke once again as he winked at his brother. Frisk couldn’t stifle a soft snort as she tried to quit laughing at the terrible puns. Sans glanced for a brief moment over at the snow fort and felt a bit of pride at the fact that he had even gotten the human to relax and laugh a bit.

“SANS!!!” Papyrus stared at his brother after he made the joke before putting his gloved hand over his face in irritation.

“Come on Paps. You’re smiling.” Sans said laughing slightly at his brother.

“YES I AM… AND I HATE IT!” Papyrus sighed dramatically before muttering to himself. “WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION?!”

“Wow, sounds like you’re really working yourself… to the bone.” Sans chuckled slightly as he grinned brightly at his brother. Frisk had her face buried in her hands at this point as she tried hard to keep her calm. The jokes were terrible, but with what she had just been through, they were a reprieve from the stress she felt hanging on her shoulders, and in all honesty as bad as they were, they were still kind of funny.

“UGH!!! I’VE HIT MY LIMIT FOR YOUR JOKES FOR THE DAY SANS! I HAVE TO ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALL READY IN CASE A HUMAN COMES THROUGH. YOUR JOB THOUGH? PUT A LITTLE MORE BACKBONE INTO IT!!!” Papyrus laughed at his own joke as he walked away.

Sans watched him go and gave his head a shake before walking over to the snow fort. “Okay you can come out now.” Sans said peering down at Frisk who was covering her mouth, stifling her giggles as her eyes shined with tears of laughter.

“T-thank goodness… I… I don’t know how much more I could take.” Frisk muttered breathlessly as she crawled out of the fort. Sans felt himself grin even more with pride at the comment. “I’m Frisk by the way.” She said smiling brightly at the skeleton, he took notice that her cheeks were colored pink by a faint blush of happiness. He liked seeing her smile better than the stressful look she’d had on her face when they first met.

“You oughta get going. Paps might come back and if he does… you’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes.” Sans warned her with a wink. Frisk giggled again and covered her mouth.

“Thank you, Sans.” She said giving him a wave before continuing on. She missed the look of curiosity he gave her. He hadn’t been expecting her to thank him, Sans pondered on this a moment before calling out to the woman.

“Heh… don’t mention it Sugar… actually… I got a favor to ask of ya. I was thinking… my brother’s been kind of feeling down lately. He’s never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day.” Sans commented as Frisk stopped to glance back at him. She felt a twinge of nervousness at letting his human-hunting brother see her.

Sans noted the look and gave a slight chuckle. “You don’t have anything to worry about, Paps isn’t dangerous even if he tries to be.” Sans tried to ease her worries again. He was graced with another bright smile.

“Alright… I suppose as long as he’s not dangerous I don’t have anything to worry about.” Frisk replied gently, she was feeling a lot better thanks to the skelebros so if letting Papyrus see her would lift his spirits, and Sans would be happy then who was she to say no. It was a good way to thank them.

“Thanks a million. I’ll be up ahead when you get there.” Sans winked at Frisk before he walked the opposite way she did. Blinking her eyes curiously at the skeleton as he walked off in the wrong direction, she shrugged her shoulders and walked the way she had been heading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you everyone for the Kudos! I really appreciate the support from all of you!
> 
> Welcome to Chapter 5! The next couple of chapters are a lot of character interaction but it's necessary to developing the relationships between Frisk and the others.  
> Just as a heads up in case someone isn't aware there will be monster battles in this story just like in the game, I will be writing some of them, and in some of them Frisk will die. I'll try to keep it mild with the descriptions, I'm not very good with writing fights anyways.  
> Also as I've gotten further into this story I've come to the realization that as much as I try to keep the characters true to their original personalities, I find I'm also making them my own in my own way. So if you're expecting cookie cutter characters exactly the same as the game characters, you will be disappointed :). The joys of creativity I suppose.

Frisk continued on, her heart felt just a little big lighter now after the encounter with Sans and Papyrus. It seemed not all monsters were dead set on the kill or be killed rule. If that were the case Sans would have gave her away in the end instead of letting his brother run off.

Looking up Frisk saw another healing spot and approached it pressing her hand against the stone, hoping maybe it could do something for her fatigue. As it warmed her body, she felt a bit better but she could tell she was still fatigued. “It was worth a shot at least.” She commented gently before following the path forward.

Up ahead of her she heard two voices talking, approaching she came to a stop. “SO AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE…” Papyrus spoke loudly as he looked to Sans pausing in speech when he finally noticed Frisk standing there.

Sans’s gaze shifted between the two as Papyrus’s mouth opened slightly in surprise before he turned to his brother. “SANS! OH MY GOSH! IS THAT… A HUMAN?!?!?” Papyrus asked awestruck. Sans glanced over at Frisk then looked back to his brother.

“You mean in front of the rock?” Sans asked tilting his head slightly.

“Y-YES! IS THAT A HUMAN?!” Papyrus whispered enthusiastically.

“Yeah, I think that is a human.” Sans confirmed his brother’s suspicions.

“OH MY GOSH! SANS! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!!! UNDYNE WILL… I’M GONNA…I’LL BE SO…” Papyrus shook with excitement as he found himself unable to speak. Frisk laughed softly to herself at his excitement. He kind of reminded her of a little kid.

“I’M GONNA BE SO POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!!!” Papyrus finally found his words as he jumped up and down in his excitement. Sans just watched, a hint of amusement in his grin at his brother’s excitement. Frisk wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but as Papyrus turned to face her with a serious look on his face, she waited for him to speak.

“HUMAN! YOU WILL NOT PASS THROUGH THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU AND CAPTURE YOU! YOUR SOUL WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED; ONLY CONTINUE ON THE PATH TO SNOWDIN IF YOU ARE NOT TOO INTIMIDATED BY ME!” Papyrus tried to speak in an intimidating tone as he placed his hands on his hips looking at Frisk, before turning on his heel and heading to the area where the puzzles were located, laughing as he disappeared.

“Well, that went well.” Sans said as he watched his brother go before looking back over to Frisk. “Don’t worry Sugar. I’ll keep an eye socket out for ya.” Sans said giving Frisk a wink and a brief nod before following after his brother. Frisk grinned as she watched the two of them go ahead.

_“Don’t let your guard down… you never know who’s waiting around the corner for you… could be someone like Flowey.”_ A little voice in the back of her mind reminded her, Frisk felt a bit of tension return as she suddenly wondered if this might be a trick on Sans’s part. Taking a deep breath, Frisk reminded herself that he could have given her away at any time when she was hiding in the snow fort, but he had not done that at least.

“I… trust him.” Frisk silenced the voice with a firm tone.

_“Heh…”_ a little laugh came before the voice grew silent again.

Frisk moved onward not wanting to keep the brothers waiting too long. Glancing off to the side she noticed a cardboard sentry station sitting in the snow. She also noticed some writing and walked up to examine it. _“YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION! YOU PONDER WHO COULD HAVE BUILT IT! THE ONLY PERSON CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF WELL CRAFTED-NESS MUST BE NONE OTHER THAN THE VERY FAMOUS PAPYRUS!”_ Frisk read the writing and smiled just a little bit more before giving a slight giggle. He really was very child-like, but it was endearing.

A little further ahead Frisk saw another sentry station; this one was built from wood and looked like a proper sentry station. A small sign read “Absolutely NO moving!” A puzzled look crossed Frisk’s face as she looked at the sign before glancing at the sentry station that appeared empty.

Shrugging her shoulders the woman made her way forward, only to pause when a strange dog like monster poked its head out. “Did something move!?” it yapped in an over excited sounding voice. Frisk paused and held her breath as the monster looked around, remembering what the sign just said.

“I can only see moving things! If something were to stay completely still I wouldn’t be able to see it!” The dog announced excitedly looking around as it jumped out of the sentry station blocking the way, looking around suspiciously as it held two swords in its hands, the swords glowed blue as he swung them around, Frisk closed her eyes as she saw them aimed at her.

Remaining rooted to the spot, Frisk felt the sword go right through her, the attack doing nothing. Blinking her eyes as she bit her cheek to keep from making a noise, she wondered if it was because she had stayed still. Waiting silently the dog looked around before turning its back on Frisk who moved the slightest amount forward. She paused as the monster turned around, she felt its tail brush up against her leg, and the dog monster spun around looking in her direction suspiciously.

“Something is there! I know something is there, I felt you!” he spun around again swinging his blue colored swords, losing his bearings in the process.

_“Maybe since he’s a dog I should pet him?”_ Frisk reasoned with herself silently as she looked at the confused monster. Slowly she lifted her hand and pet him a little causing the dog to go ballistic as she grew still again.

“Something pet me! SOMETHING. PET. ME! Where did it come from?!” Doggo looked around before jumping back into his house. “Something pet me! And it’s not moving! Is there really anything there?! I… I need some dog treats to calm my nerves!” His voice was filled with a nervous excitement before ducking down into his dog house.

_*DOGGO WAS SPARED*_

Frisk bit the inside of her cheek a second time to stop the cry of pain she felt rise up in her throat, she felt blood dribble slightly into her mouth from where she had bit her cheek but ignored it as her head spun. A wave of pain brought the woman down on one knee as she tried to fight through and not black out again.

_“C-can’t pass out… need to keep moving from this area…”_ Frisk thought weakly to herself as she stood up. The pain had knocked her breath out of her as she inhaled shakily hoping the dog was distracted enough not to come back out at the sound of her breathing.

Sans stood, hidden, up head behind a grove of pine trees watching Frisk make her way to Doggo. The battle went well, apparently she was a pretty smart human as she stood still when the blades of the swords attacked her; well either that or she had been too scared to move, whatever the reason she had managed to avoid the attack.

Watching as she pet the monster he chuckled slightly, intrigued that she would rather be kind to him then attack back. As the fight finished Sans turned to head further up, only to pause in mid-step as he watched as the woman seem to double over in pain. He worriedly watched until she was back on her feet, his mind processing what had just happened.

She had been perfectly still when Doggo had attacked so she shouldn’t have been hit with the attack, but once the battle was done she doubled over in pain as if she had been hit with an attack. “I’ll really have to keep an eye socket on her… something weird is goin’ on…” Sans muttered to himself as he moved ahead to wait for her.

Frisk numbly made her way forward. She desperately needed to rest as the battles were beginning to wear on her. “I…I hope I’m almost to Snowdin… I think that’s where Papyrus said this path was going.” Frisk said quietly to herself as she forced her legs to keep moving forward.

Up ahead she saw the familiar sight of Sans and his blue jacket standing out against the snow. Forcing a smile to cover up what had just happened Frisk approached the skeleton. “Hi Sans.” She greeted him.

“Hey Sugar… I got a tip for ya. If you ever find yourself fighting my brother he has a very special attack. If you see something glowing blue that’s attacking you, don’t move and it won’t hurt you. Simple right?” He said looking at the woman.

“Is that the same thing for every blue attack?” Frisk asked curiously.

“Yup, at least for every blue attack in the Underground.” Sans nodded his head before heading onwards.

“I’m going up ahead. See ya soon Sugar.” Sans looked over his shoulder giving her a wide grin and a nod of his head as he moved onwards. Frisk watched him go and smiled slightly before sitting down in the snow to rest for a short while.

After catching herself nodding off slightly, Frisk stood to her feet to continue on. She couldn’t rest out here in the snow for very long because of how cold it was, not to mention she was technically being hunted down here. The woman slowly made her way across a pool of ice, reaching a sign in the middle to help catch her balance as she did. “North: Ice, South: Ice, West: Ice, East: Snowdin Town… and Ice!” The sign read.

“Thank goodness, maybe that means that the town is close.” Frisk murmured as she pushed off the sign and slid East across the ice. Up ahead she saw the now familiar sight of the two Skelebro’s. They were talking, or rather Papyrus was complaining about Sans’s laziness again.

“SANS! YOU LAZY BONES! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!” Papyrus spoke in an irritated tone.

“Uh… I think that’s called sleeping Paps.” Sans corrected his brother.

“EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” Papyrus replied with an exasperated sigh before his attention was drawn to Frisk.

“OH-HO! HUMAN YOU HAVE ARRIVED! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING! NYEHEHEHEH!” Papyrus laughed at his play on words before explaining the inside joke to Frisk.

“FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRIC MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!” Papyrus said in a cocky tone as he grinned at Frisk. “GO AHEAD AND TRY TO MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH, UNLESS YOU’RE TOO SCARED.”

“Um… alright…” Frisk blinked her eyes at Papyrus, worried he hadn’t thought this through completely. “Although… since you’re holding the orb… won’t you be shocked if I walk into the wall?” Frisk asked looking at the skeleton in confusion. “Wouldn’t it be… safer for you if I was holding the orb while walking through the maze?”

Papyrus looked at the human in a stunned silence before glancing around. Quickly he made his way through the maze and handed Frisk the orb before walking back through, leaving shoe prints in the snow as he did.

“NYEHEH! SINCE YOU INSISTED ON HOLDING THE ORB NOW YOU MUST SAFELY DELIVER IT TO ME IN ORDER TO GET THROUGH THE MAZE!” Papyrus said proudly as he stood with his hands on his hips. Frisk stifled a small laugh as she looked at the orb then at the shoe prints in the snow.

“This looks hard, but I’ll give it my best shot.” Frisk replied holding the orb in her hands as she slowly made her way through the winding maze, following Papyrus’s footprints. Finally at the end the woman sighed as she made her way out before handing the orb back to Papyrus, who stared in shock at the human who had managed to foil his first puzzle.

“INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! YOU SOLVED THE PUZZLE SO EASILY… TOO EASILY! HOWEVER THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY FOR YOU! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! NYEHEHEHEH!” Papyrus cackled as he ran off towards the next puzzle. Frisk blinked her eyes at him as he went.

“Heh.” Sans gave a slight chuckle as he watched his brother go off, Frisk glanced over at the skeleton who looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Thanks… Paps seems like he’s having a lot of fun.” Sans replied to her confused look.

“Oh… it’s not a problem. I feel like I ruined this one though, I just didn’t want to see him shocked when I ran into a wall.” Frisk replied smiling softly.

“Nah, I don’t think you ruined it for him. He likes to try to trick others with puzzles.” Sans grew quiet for a moment before turning to face Frisk a bit more. “My brother is pretty cool isn’t he? Sometimes he gets a little over excited at the thought of being part of the Royal Guard but… he’s got a good heart, so to speak.”

“He does seem pretty cool.” She agreed in a soft tone, although she still thought of him as a bit childish in his excitement.

“Heh yeah… well I’ll head on ahead and wait for you. I just… felt like sharing that with you. See ya Sugar.” Sans said a bit awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his skull before continuing on. Frisk looked after him smiling easily as she watched him go. He made it so easy to smile… and Frisk appreciated that more than she would ever be able to tell him.

 Continuing on after Sans, who had somehow managed to disappear as soon as he was out of sight, Frisk passed by a snowy golf course that had a large snowball for a ball. She had wanted to stop to play, but knew that the sooner she made her way to Snowdin Town the sooner she could rest up.

Following the path that lead around the snow golf course, Frisk found the two brothers once again. This time the puzzle was a simple sheet of paper on the ground. “SANS, WHAT IS THAT?!” Papyrus asked in an exasperated tone once again.

“Heh, relax Paps. She won’t be able to get past this one.” Sans said confidently as he winked at Frisk who hesitantly just walked around the paper.

“SANS SHE DIDN’T EVEN STOP TO LOOK AT IT!” Papyrus yelled as he waved his arms in frustration before looking at his brother.

“Whoops... looks like I should have used today’s crossword instead of that one. Maybe she’s already seen it before.” Sans said looking at Papyrus.

“WHAAA?! CROSSWORD?! ARE YOU CRAZY? JUNIOR JUMBLE IS SOOO MUCH HARDER!” Papyrus flailed his arms in irritation at his brother’s words.

“What? Really? That easy word scramble? That’s for little baby bones, bro.” Sans replied snickering slightly.

“SERIOUSLY?! HUMAN I DEMAND YOU SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!!! WHICH IS HARDER?” Papyrus’s jaw dropped before he looked over at Frisk.

“Oh… um… well I’d have to say…” Frisk paused slightly, she didn’t really think either of them were hard, but… she wanted Papyrus to keep having fun so she shrugged her shoulders. “I guess Junior Jumble in my opinion.” Frisk said looking at the two brothers.

“NYHEHEHEH! THAT’S RIGHT! YOU MUST BE A VERY INTELLIGENT HUMAN!” Papyrus said cockily before running off for the next puzzle. Frisk blinked her eyes watching him go. Talking with Papyrus was very… interesting to say the least. She was glad he seemed to be having a good time.

“You said that just to appease my brother didn’t you?” Sans asked looking at Frisk who gave a slightly guilty smile.

“Maybe… I figure if he’s having fun, who am I to ruin it?” She smiled looking at the skeleton who closed his eye sockets and grinned at her.

“Thanks.” Sans said before walking forward again.

Frisk moved forward only stopping to read a sign that said “Dog Marriage ahead” and to solve a puzzle with a hidden switch that wasn’t exactly hidden. Walking over the now retracted spikes that had blocked her way, and crossing over a bridge that lead to another area Frisk froze as she saw two hooded, black robed, ax wielding figures approach her. They each paused on either side of her as she stayed still and silent.

“What’s that smell?” A male voice said curiously as he inhaled several times.

“If you’re a smell, identify yoursmellf!” a female voice said from the other side sniffing around excitedly.

The two monsters ran all around Frisk, just barely missing her as they tried to figure out what she was.

“Hmm the weird smell is centered here!” the male voice said accusingly as both monsters came to a stop on either side of Frisk again.

“It makes me want to eliminate it!” The female voice said with a low growl. Frisk blinked her eyes fearfully as the monsters attacked her.

The two monsters lowered their hoods revealing that they were dog monsters as well. Frisk looked at the two of them uncertain if they were like the last dog monster she had faced. She found out rather quickly that these two could indeed see her as the female gave a growl and swung her ax at the human. Frisk gave a slight scream as she jumped back away from the weapon.

The male watched her movement and then swung his ax to counter her movements. The weapon struck Frisk across the abdomen sending her falling backwards as the blade ripped through her, leaving her with a deep wound. The woman yelped with pain as a red haze and pain began to blur her vision.

 “N-no… not again…” She whimpered trying to crawl away from the two in order to get back on her feet; however their attack had injured Frisk enough that the scent of blood was giving her away. The two dogs realized quickly that she smelled like a human and finished her off with several merciless ax swings to her back.

Frisk jolted up from lying on the ground as she screamed loudly from the lingering pain of the axes. Her back and stomach seared with pain from unseen wounds. She was brought to the edge of tears as a few rolled down her cheeks while the pain finally began to subside.

Frisk’s whole body shook violently with the memory of the two dogs, as she tried to catch her breath. “I… that… can’t happen again…” she scolded herself, still feeling as though her legs might give out if she stood up.

Looking around to figure out where exactly the reset had taken her back to she realized it was right after she had finished Sans’s puzzle. Taking a deep breath as she drew up determination from deep within herself, Frisk stood to her feet determined to not die again to the two ax wielding dogs as she started walking back to the hidden switch puzzle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 6. There’s not a whole lot to say for this particular chapter except that Frisk is finally going to get to Snowdin after her long journey from the Ruins. There’s more development between the relationships of Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk. There’s also lots of dogs this chapter. The K-9 unit has not been kind so far for poor Frisk. I hope all you readers out there enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one as well! Thank you all again for your support, it inspires me to keep posting and to keep writing this story.

While she had vowed not to die again to the two ax dogs, Frisk found herself injured once more from a surprise attack before they dealt the killing blows, axes digging deeply into her delicate flesh. Waking up again from darkness Frisk found herself in pain again as she lay on the ground. “Please! Please! Please! No more… it hurts so much!” Frisk sobbed into her arms as she begged no one in particular, just wanting the pain to stop.

_“Heh… you can stop the pain you know…”_ that little voice echoed in the back of her mind as tears rolled down Frisk’s cheeks this time.

“I won’t… I won’t do it…” Frisk whimpered knowing what the little voice was implying. She just wanted to lie in the snow that surrounded her and forget the pain she was forced to experience every time the timeline was reset. This “curse” was the worst thing she could have asked for.

After resting in the snow for a bit, she pulled herself to her feet. Frisk shakily made her way to the hidden switch puzzle again. Her body was no longer in pain but it felt like each death was taking its toll on her, wearing down on her determination. Glancing at the scars on her arms, she saw that the lines hadn’t grown any since her run in with Doggo which made her the slightest bit happy; at least death didn’t seem to affect the poison in her.

Frisk went to walk past the sign about Dog Marriage for the third time now but paused as she saw something scratched hastily into the wood. “Roll around” were the words there now. “What?” Frisk looked in shock at the words. It was a hint she was sure but who had left it for her?

Still feeling a bit unsteady on her feet, Frisk solved the switch puzzle and made her way over to Dogamy and Dogaressa once more. This time when the two started attacking Frisk she was able to move out of the way before rolling around in the snow.

“What’s that? That smell is…” Dogamy said curiously tilting his head before sniffing Frisk.

“Are you a little puppy?” Dogaressa asked with an excited look as she sniffed at Frisk as well.

Frisk didn’t dare speak. She didn’t want to give herself away and risk another painful reset. As the two sniffed at her, Frisk just pet both of them on the nose gently.

“Whoa! A dog that pets other dogs?” Dogamy said in shock.

“This puppy is amazing!” Dogaressa said in awe. The two monsters looked at each other before lowering their axes and hugging Frisk close.

“Thank you puppy!” they said in unison.

“We now know dogs can pet other dogs!” Dogamy said excitedly.

“A new world has opened up for us!” Dogaressa  said happily,  the two then retrieved their weapons and ran off to tell other dogs of the amazing, weird puppy.  Frisk smiled slightly as she watched them go, suddenly remembering what would come next she braced herself.

_*DOGAMY AND DOGARESSA WERE SPARED*_

 A blinding pain shot through Frisk as she tried to hold in the scream that threatened to burst from her chest. She fell to the ground on her knees; her vision seemed to grow dark as her whole body stiffened causing the pain to grow even worse in her tense muscles. The scars on her body seared with a pain that seemed to reach her very soul.

Tears rolled down Frisks cheeks heavily now as she fell face first into the snow, the coldness doing nothing to lessen the pain that tore through the woman as she screamed from the physical exhaustion the pain had caused. She sobbed softly into her arms as she lay in the snow recovering from the pain and exhaustion that she felt.

Finally her body grew numb again as the pain faded away. Frisk panted heavily, finally lifting her head to look up. “C-come on…F-Frisk… you can do it…” she whispered to herself trying to encourage her body to rise. It took almost all of the strength she had left for the woman to get to her feet. Staggering slightly, Frisk shook her head trying to clear her vision which had become filled with little white dots.

Trudging downwards through the snow, Frisk nearly fainted at the sight of another puzzle. They wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have to fight monsters as well as solve puzzles. This puzzle had what appeared to be electronic panels on the ground that had X’s on them.

Walking down to the sign below the puzzle Frisk read what it had to say. “Step on the panels to turn every X into an O. Then press the switch.” Frisk forced her tired body to go through the motions of solving the easy puzzle before stepping on the switch at the top allowing her to continue on as the spikes blocking the way disappeared.

“HUMAN!” Papyrus’s voice rang in Frisk’s already pounding head as she approached. Forcing a small smile on her face she looked at the skeleton in front of her.

“Hi Papyrus.” She said in a kind tone as she looked at him.

“YOU WERE TAKING A VERY LONG TIME TO GET TO THIS PUZZLE! I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE! I GOT BORED AND MADE THE SNOW INTO AN IMAGE OF MY FACE, HOWEVER THE SNOW IS FROZEN IN PLACE NOW AND IT HAS CHANGED THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE!” Papyrus informed Frisk as he led her to where the next puzzle was.

_“I’m not sure how many more puzzles I can solve in this condition…”_   Frisk admitted to herself as she looked at the puzzle, which was exactly like the last one just... bigger, and in the shape of Papyrus’s face.

“DO NOT FEAR HUMAN, I SHALL DISCOVER THE SOLUTION TO THIS PUZZLE. WHILE I AM FIGURING IT OUT THOUGH, FEEL FREE TO SOLVE IT AS WELL, I SHALL NOT GIVE AWAY THE SOLUTION IF YOU DON’T WANT ME TO!” Papyrus said in a cocky tone as he ran his gloved hand over his chin in thought while looking at the puzzle. Frisk glanced to him, before turning around. She winced in pain as she forced her legs to keep moving.

Looking at the puzzle for a while, Frisk tried to figure out the solution in her head. Biting her lower lip in thought, Frisk tilted her head as a possible solution came to mind. She slowly began making her way across the X’s turning them carefully into O’s. Finally Frisk gave a sigh of relief as she found the answer to the puzzle and moved forward to step on the final X.

“WOW!!! HUMAN! YOU SOLVED IT! AND YOU DID IT ALL WITHOUT HELP FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” Papyrus looked at Frisk with and impressed grin, which caused her to laugh slightly at the look.

“YOU MUST HAVE THE SAME LOVE FOR PUZZLES THAT I DO! WELL I’M SURE YOU’LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN AS WELL!” Papyrus said with certainty in his tone as he walked off ahead of Frisk who looked after him with a wide eyed gaze. The woman gave a groan of despair at the promise of another puzzle just ahead, and found herself just wanting to faint.

Forcing her tired body to move on Frisk came to a sudden stop as she saw Sans standing on the other side of the spikes that had blocked the way. As the skeleton looked at her she noticed his smile wasn’t quite as big as it previously had been. His gaze looked troubled and seemed to have a hint of worry to it as he just stared at her for a minute or two before approaching her.

“It’s not too much further to Snowdin Town.” He spoke in an unusually calm tone as he stood next to her now in case she needed to use him for support. He felt her hand rest on his shoulder as she struggled to keep her balance. “Once you’re there head right to the Inn, I’ve already got a room reserved for ya.” Sans spoke in a mysterious tone as he looked at the exhausted woman.

His gaze flickered first to her neck then down to her arms as he took note again of the scars and the deep purple lines that seemed to crawl across her skin, they looked like they had possibly grown since he saw her exit the Ruins.

“T-thank you…” Frisk muttered tiredly as she looked at the skeleton who focused his gaze back on her face now. Frisk used him to support her until the white dots in front of her eyes faded a bit. Taking a deep breath as she regained her balance, she moved her hand from his shoulder.

“No problem Sugar, just take your time… the next puzzles will be easy to pass.” Sans said before turning around and walking towards the next puzzle. Frisk followed behind after taking a minute more to catch her breath, she still had a few white dots dancing in front of her eyes.

Frisk finally made her way into the next area where Papyrus explained the puzzle created by Dr. Alphys was a puzzle that relied heavily on colored tiles. Frisks head spun slightly as Papyrus went about explaining the rules before throwing the switch. Neither of them noticed Sans left eye glow a faint blue color as the machine calculated the puzzle.

Two rows of pink tiles appeared with red on either side, making for easy passage for Frisk, who gave a grateful sigh at the luck. Sans looked at her and gave a wink before he and his brother moved onwards to the next puzzle Papyrus had set up for Frisk.

Ahead was an area filled with more monsters although they didn’t look like the kind that wanted to fight. A dog was staring blankly at a pile of snow, as if deciding what to create with it. A monster that closely resembled a deer stood nearby watching the dog with a mixture of curiosity and irritation. Near the dog was a healing spot which filled Frisk with determination to continue on.

She pressed her hand to the stone and felt a warm comfort wash over her. Frisk closed her eyes as she felt the warmth from healing eliminate some of her weariness and fatigue, although she still felt somewhat exhausted. She came upon another X and O puzzle which was designed into an ice rink. Frisk carefully skated across the ice, trying hard not to fall off the edge as she solved the puzzle quickly, opening up the bridge to continue forward.

As Frisk made her way through a path lined with trees on each side she came to an area that was filled with little snow mounds. A little ways further up was a small dog house, as Frisk approached it she noticed a cute little white dog poke its head out from behind the dog house to stare at her.

A small smile crossed Frisk’s face as she looked at the little guy. “Hi puppy.” She said in a gentle voice as the dog gave a friendly bark at her. She laughed slightly until the puppy stood up. Her eyes widened in shock as the puppy now towered above her wearing armor and carrying a spear.

“Oh no…” Frisk croaked in a strained whisper as she looked at the monster who tilted it’s head at her. “I… can’t…please… please just let me pass.” Frisk begged softly as tears filled her eyes. The dog looked at her content with standing in her way, meaning that she couldn’t run away from it, the fight was unavoidable. “Help me…” she whispered softly closing her eyes, her hands placed gently over her heart, as she tried to draw out any inner strength she could to face the dog and the pain that would come when she spared him.

A warm feeling filled her chest as she saw a faint red glow in the shape of a heart form. She felt the warmth spread through her. A faint red glow entered her eyes as the warmth took over her body, and she heard the giggle of the little voice in the back of her mind _“Finally... I suppose though I’ll have to do this your way.”_ she heard it mutter. The warmth seemed to fill her with renewed determination as she looked at the dog in front of her now.

“Come here boy.” Frisk called out to the Greater Dog who bounded towards her excitedly. Her now brown red eyes watched as the Greater Dog stopped in front of her. She pet the dog gently on the head as he begged for affection. She felt his entire weight pressed into her as he enjoyed being pet.

“Gah.. you’re a big boy aren’t you?” she commented petting the dog gently as he nuzzled against her before getting off of her excitedly stamping his feet in the snow in front of her.

“Want to play boy? Here fetch!” Frisk said as she made a snowball and threw it over the dogs head. He watched excitedly as the snowball splattered into the snow, he grabbed all the snow in the area and tiredly made his way back to Frisk dropping the pile next to her and tried curling up on her lap sinking it’s weight into her again as she pet it. Suddenly the dog rolled over and put his feet up in the air signaling he was content as he gave Frisk a big wet kiss before bounding off.

_*GREATER DOG WAS SPARED*_

Frisk gasped as she held her chest, the pain that shot through her body made it hard to breathe as she collapsed on the ground now. She gasped for air but felt as though she couldn’t get any into her lungs. Her ears rang loudly as the pain paralyzed her body, and tears rolled down her cheeks before the pain faded away. Thankfully it hadn’t lasted as long as the last fight where she had spared two monsters instead of just one. Darkness filled her vision this time though as Frisk was too exhausted, she fainted from the toll the pain had taken on her body.

In the dark dreamless sleep she had entered, Frisk felt comforting warmth as if something were covering her. As she started to regain consciousness from the fight, the warmth seemed to disappear as it felt as though it was lifted off of her. Frisk shivered slightly as she opened one brown eye weakly to see she was face down in the snow.

Forcing herself up, Frisk’s head spun slightly. She had still not recovered and needed a proper night’s sleep but at least when she fell unconscious and thanks to whatever had happened to her before she fought the Greater Dog, Frisk felt that she at least had the energy to make it the rest of the way to Snowdin Town, and that feeling filled her with determination. Her legs wobbled with her weight as she ran her hand over her face, trying to get her bearings.

A short ways up ahead she saw a long wooden bridge, and what looked to be a town on the other side. “Thank goodness.” She whispered hoarsely as she walked towards the bridge, her body aching with every movement.

Finally she reached the bridge and started making her way across the long chasm, her balance was off and she felt wobbly on the bridge as she grabbed the rope railings to keep her balanced while she crossed over. Frisk made her way about half way across before she came to a stop, there staring at her were Papyrus and Sans waiting on the far side of the bridge.

“HUMAN!” Papyrus called out to her in a loud voice causing her to visibly flinch in pain as her head pounded. “THIS IS THE FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE OF THIS SET OF PUZZLES! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!” Papyrus yelled with conviction as he raised his fist into the air dramatically.

Frisk froze as he pressed a button on a remote and several dangerous traps sprang out surrounding both sides of the bridge. Looking around her Frisk gave a shaky sigh, and closed her eyes tightly waiting for the reset to happen.

“WHEN I PRESS THIS BUTTON AGAIN THIS TRAP WILL ACTIVATE!  YOU WILL HAVE THE SLIMIST OF CHANCES TO MAKE IT ACROSS THE REST OF THE BRIDGE HUMAN!” Papyrus spoke in a triumphant tone. Frisk kept her eyes closed as she continued to wait; her body trembled slightly as she anticipated the pain and then the additional lingering pain.

“ARE YOU READY? BECAUSE. I. AM. ABOUT. TO. PRESS. THE. BUTTON!” Papyrus said loudly in a dramatic voice, Frisk tensed and braced herself wishing he would do it already. There was a hesitating pause. Peeking one eye open Frisk saw that Papyrus had his back turned towards her, Sans was looking at his brother grinning as his eye socket was arched curiously at him.

“Well? What’s the holdup Paps? It doesn’t look very activated…” Sans asked curiously.

“H-HOLDUP? WHAT HOLDUP? I’M… I’M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!” Papyrus snapped at his brother defensively. Frisk watched the interaction and felt her heart swell slightly. Had her kindness been able to change Papyrus’s mind?

“Uh…” Sans started to say before Papyrus interrupted him.

“THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS… MAYBE… IT’S TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH!” Papyrus declared almost angrily. “I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS SANS! I THINK MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! THIS METHOD HAS NO CLASS WHAT SO EVER! AWAY IT GOES!” Papyrus said as he turned his head up snobbishly at the bridge trap.

Frisk gave a small sigh as the traps vanished back where they came from. She looked at Papyrus with an appreciative gaze. “DO NOT LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT HUMAN! THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEHEHEHEH!” Papyrus said defensively as he turned and walked away from Frisk and Sans. Finishing her trek weakly across the bridge Frisk collapsed on the solid ground, her body unwilling to move any further.

“Heh, well whaddya know.” Sans spoke in a surprised tone as he walked over to Frisk and gently grabbed her arm lifting her back to her feet, Frisk’s eyes fluttered slightly as her head pounded. “See Sugar… I told you everything would be alright. You’re in the home stretch to get to Snowdin Town. I think you should rest for a few days while you’re safe…” Sans suggested.

“Am I really safe though?” Frisk asked as she fought the urge to pass out again. “I mean it is a town full of monsters after all.” She said weakly.

“Yeah… these monsters are actually pretty friendly though. I don’t think most of them would hurt a fly, let alone a little Angel like you.” Sans said in a calm tone as he helped the woman walk forward. “Easy Sugar, you don’t need to over exert yourself anymore.” Sans spoke softly as they walked, he had noticed earlier when she flinched at Papyrus’s loud voice.

“Sans… why are you being so nice to me? Isn’t it against your orders?” Frisk asked weakly as she saw the sign for Snowdin Town coming into view.

“Eh… I’ve never been much for taking orders. Like I said before I don’t really care about capturing anyone… and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you raise a finger to hurt anyone so I don’t think you’re much of a threat to me…” Sans replied honestly as they walked into town. Sans had his arm wrapped gently around Frisk’s waist to help support her while she walked as she leaned slightly against him.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone… I won’t hurt anyone; kindness is stronger than any amount of violence ever could be.” She replied in a firm tone, as if reminding herself as well, especially after everything that had happened.

“Heh… you really are an Angel if you think like that. I just hope the Underground doesn’t rip that innocence from you.” Sans muttered softly, Frisk thought she detected a hint of bitterness in his tone. “Alright, this is where I leave you. Here’s the Inn, like I said I already took care of the room for tonight.” Sans said gently pulling his arm away from the woman. She turned to face him, looking the tiniest bit better than she had at the bridge.

“Thank you Sans… I’m not sure I can ever repay you.” Frisk said as she smiled gently at him. Sans blinked his eyes before closing them, grinning and running his hand over the back of his skull, a faint hint of blue colored his cheek bones.

“You don’t need to do anything. You already made my brother’s day, maybe even his year, so this is the least I could do for you. Just… stay safe.” He said before turning his back on her and walking away lazily towards the other side of town.

Frisk looked after him as the gentle smile stayed on her face, grateful that he was willing to be kind to her. Opening the door to the Inn, Frisk entered hesitantly. She saw a bunny monster standing behind the counter.

“Welcome to Snowed Inn! Snowdin’s premier hotel! I believe you’re reservation for today has already been taken care of, why don’t you head upstairs and rest.” The innkeeper suggested in a polite manner.

“Thank you.” She replied bowing her head politely as she walked upstairs to her room. Falling down onto the bed, Frisk felt her body throb angrily at the over exertion she had done to it. She wasn’t there more than five minutes before sleep took her away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 7! I’m worried you guys will think these last three chapters are more filler chapters than anything, but I still feel they’re necessary. I guess it’s character building, especially since the characters are not exact cookie cutter replicas of the original Undertale characters. So I’ve been working hard to give you guys something that helps paint a picture of my version of Sans and Papyrus. Although since Sans is a main character as well, I feel as though you guys will get to know more about him throughout the story. Papyrus though… he doesn’t play a big part unfortunately, so hopefully in the time I’ve been writing his part you all “get” him. Not much more to say. Thank you all as always for the comments, follows, kudo’s and all the support. I appreciate it a lot! See you guys next time!

Frisk sleepily opened one brown eye as dim light poured in from the window near her bed. Slowly she opened her other eye as she tried to push away the grogginess of sleep from her mind. Sitting up, the woman rubbed her eyes and looked around.

The quaint little room felt warm and welcoming as Frisk took in her surroundings. There was a simple bed off to the back of the room where she was at now, off to the side was a small end table and a long table with a round stool in the center of it. It wasn’t much but it was enough to make Frisk feel safe for the first time since she had been in the Ruins.

Giving a wide yawn, the woman rubbed her eyes again as she looked around wondering what time it was. Turning her attention to the long table now, Frisk saw two cinnamon rolls in the shape of bunnies sitting on a plate. The smell of the fresh baked goods assaulted Frisk’s nose and she felt her stomach lurch hungrily as she felt as though it were twisting itself in knots.

It was less than a second later that she was over at the table digging into the food. She moaned slightly as the delicious taste met her taste buds, and the feeling of her stomach finally getting food in it hit her. Frisk had been so exhausted when she was making her way to Snowdin Town that she hadn’t realized how hungry she actually was.

As she stood to her feet now and put her tennis shoes back on, there was not a single crumb left on that plate. Frisk wasn’t completely sure how the resets affected her, but the woman definitely still felt hungry as though she hadn’t eaten in days. “I’ll worry about that later though, that should be enough food to take care of me for now… as long as nothing happens.” Frisk added nervously as she felt her hand run along the gold healing charm she had now decided to wear under her shirt instead of keeping it in her pants pocket. The feel of the little charm filled Frisk with determination to continue onwards.

Making her way down the stairs the human looked around curiously. She saw the innkeeper and a little child standing next to her. “Ah I see you’re finally awake. I thought for sure we had a corpse on our hands…” the bunny monster said as she smiled gently at Frisk.

“What do you mean?” Frisk asked in confusion as she tilted her head slightly. The innkeeper chuckled slightly at the question as Frisk made her way down the stairs.

“What I mean, my dear, is you’ve been asleep for the past two days. At least I hoped you were asleep. I had called someone to come check on you when you didn’t wake yesterday at all, even when I tried to wake you myself.” The innkeeper spoke in a calm tone as she looked at the human. She became mildly amused at the look of surprise on Frisk’s face at the comment.

“T-two days?! Did I really sleep that long?!” Frisk squeaked in shock at the statement before a thought dawned on her. She bowed her head apologetically. “I-I’m so sorry! Is… there anything I can do to help out around here to pay back what I owe you for the room? I… I don’t have any money.”

“Don’t worry about it dear, yesterday has already been taken care of as well.” The innkeeper replied with a calm look on her face. Frisk blinked her eyes in confusion as to who would have been so kind before a faint blush of embarrassment crossed her cheeks.

_“Sans…”_ she thought silently of the ever smiling skeleton who had helped her out the first night as well. “Is… is there anyways I can help you out and earn back a portion of that money?” Frisk asked in a meek sounding tone as she stared at her feet in embarrassment.

The innkeeper looked at her with a curious blink of her eyes in surprise. It was quickly replaced with a gentle smile. “I think… I would be in big trouble if I even considered letting you do that dear.” She replied in a good natured tone as she looked at the human.

“O-oh. Why would you be in trouble?” Frisk asked in a soft voice looking at the bunny curiously.

“I imagine the monster who paid for your room would be upset with me if I let you work to pay him back. In fact, I think he had a feeling that you would ask to do that. If you really want to pay him back, I’d suggest going to him directly.” She smiled but the tone of her voice told Frisk it was not up for discussion, much like a mother ending an argument between two siblings.

“A-alright. Thank you for letting me stay at your Inn.” Frisk said bowing her head politely before turning to leave. Stepping outside of the Inn, Frisk looked around taking a good look at Snowdin now. There were several bunny monsters wandering here and there, a bear monster putting presents under a well decorated pine tree, and a little monster kid looking at the tree excitedly.

Frisk looked around hesitantly not sure what to do. She realized quickly that she should probably figure out just how big the Underground was and where she should head to next. Frisk knew her main goal was making her way to Asgore, but who he was and where he lived… she didn’t have the slightest clue.

Walking through the town looking a little lost she suddenly found herself bumped into by someone. Looking down she saw the yellow monster kid sitting on the ground from the impact. “Are you alright?” Frisk asked softly extending her hand for the kid to take. He blinked his eyes slightly before looking up at the human with a tilt of his head.

“Hey! Why are you wearing a striped shirt too? Are you a kid?” He asked curiously taking Frisk’s hand and pulling himself back up to his feet.

“N-no… I’m not, I just like striped shirts.” Frisk commented gently looking at him with a smile. The kid looked her up and down before grinning.

“You’re kind of a funny looking monster, but if you like striped shirts, you must be cool!” he replied excitedly as he looked at Frisk with a bright smile. Frisk gave a little laugh and smiled at him.

“Thank you. I’m happy you think I’m cool.” She replied with a bright smile. “Maybe you can help me? I’m new to Snowdin and I’m trying to find a Library or something like it so I can look up some information.” Frisk explained as she looked at the kid who nodded his head.

“There’s a library right next to the Skelebro’s house. It’s just up the road there.” He pointed up ahead; Frisk looked in that direction before nodding her head in appreciation.

“Thank you for the help.” Frisk smiled brightly before continuing onwards. Frisk glanced upwards at the sign near her now, it said Grillby’s on it. She could hear excited chattering coming from inside, and the scent of food wafted out of the door as someone exited the building.

“Good to see you up and going. Tibia honest, I didn’t have the heart to wake you.” A familiar voice called out from the doorway. Frisk looked down in surprise and found herself stifling her giggles as she looked at the skeleton in his blue coat that stood in front of the bar’s door now.

“That’s okay; I was tired to the bone from everything that’s happened.” Frisk managed to reply as she looked at Sans who seemed to beam with happiness at her attempted pun.

“Where are ya heading to, Sugar?” Sans asked tilting his head at the human. He was pretty relieved to see her up and going finally. When Remmi had called him yesterday saying Frisk hadn’t woken up at all, Sans found himself worried about the woman. Upon finding her good and well, if not still completely exhausted, Sans offered to pay for another night so that she could rest up.

“The Library. I’ve got to figure out how to get back home, and I don’t know where to go from here.” Frisk said looking at the skeleton with a serious look now. She thought she saw him give a faint sigh.

“You sure that’s what you want?” He asked seriously now as he looked at Frisk who gave her head a firm nod. “I can take ya to the Library. I can probably tell you more than those old dusty books though. They’ll probably bore ya to the bone…”

Frisk couldn’t help but laugh slightly at the pun. Even if his puns were pretty bad, they still gave her some form of stress relief. “I know where the library is though, so you don’t have to help me. I can try to figure out where to go and what to do on my own.”

“Eh, I don’t have anything better to do, why not come into Grillby’s then? It’ll be warmer than standing out here and I can explain some things.” Sans suggested opening the door to the building for Frisk to enter. Looking at the skeleton hesitantly, Frisk gave a slight nod of her head and followed him in.

The warm air of the bar wrapped Frisk in a comforting blanket as she relaxed slightly. Glancing over at table near the door, the woman stilled and the relaxed feeling vanished as she was rooted to the spot. There sitting at the table were the dog monsters she had faced on her way to Snowdin.

“You’re safe from the K-9 Unit…” Sans said pausing as he glanced in Frisk’s direction. The woman took a shaky step towards Sans as she followed after him.

“Does your human world tell the history of what happened, and why we’re down here?” Sans asked suddenly as the two took a seat at the bar

“Briefly. I know that our ancestors feared the monsters, and that fear caused a war. That war forced monsters underground… powerful mages created a barrier to protect the humans. In all honesty a pretty stupid choice for humans to do out of fear… that’s just my opinion.” Frisk replied feeling irritated at the irrational way her ancestors behaved.

“Heh that’s a unique opinion I have to say. At least coming from a human.” Sans chuckled a bit dryly as he listened to her words. “We’ve found a way to break the barrier. We need one extremely strong human soul or… the alternative is seven different colored human souls… there’s no way for us to cross the barrier without destroying it one way or another.” Sans explained as the two sat next to each other at the bar.

Frisk blinked her eyes at the skeleton before noticing that a monster had approached them. Sitting back in her chair the woman’s eyes grew wide as she saw the body of the monster covered in flames standing there.

“This is Grillby. You don’t gotta worry about him.” Sans said brushing off the woman’s worry as his grin widened slightly. Grillby just tilted his head slightly as he looked at the human.

“I would offer you some water… but unfortunately I don’t touch the sssstuff…” His voice was reminiscent of wispy smoke floating on the air, quiet yet rough at the same time.

“O-oh… um I’m alright, thank you though.” Frisk replied hesitantly, grateful for the offer. He gave her a nod of his head before stepping away from the two.

“I’ve heard that other humans have passed through here before me… should I assume it didn’t end well for them?” Frisk asked hesitantly looking at the skeleton again. Sans gave his head a slight nod.

“Simply put, a long time ago something occurred that caused the king of the Underground to end up… upset with humans… he’s normally a nice guy, a teddy bear really, but… he’s also driven by his feelings of revenge. He’s been gathering human souls for years. The problem is that every human soul has a different color, and the last soul needs to be a certain color to break the barrier.” Sans was oddly serious as he looked at the human in front of him. He already knew she had the right colored soul thanks to his magic.

“I…I get the feeling this isn’t going to be as easy as walking into the king’s throne room and asking him to let me leave it is?” Frisk asked hesitantly. Her question was rewarded with a faint chuckle from the skeleton.

“You could try talking to him I suppose…” Sans said with a shrug of his shoulders, he didn’t exactly have an answer for Frisk. “The real problem is getting to him in one piece though. There’s a lot of monsters that would love to hand deliver an Angel like you straight to Asgore, especially when you won’t fight back. There’s a good possibility defending yourself might be the only way to survive.” Sans’s voice took on a mysterious tone, one that Frisk couldn’t quite read.

“…I won’t hurt anyone…” she said to the skeleton with a determined tone to her voice. “I don’t think any monster down here deserves it. I will find a way to do this peacefully... even if… no matter what.” She said stubbornly as she looked at him.

“That’s big talk Sugar. I hope you can live up to those words.” Sans’s eye socket rose as he looked at the woman, a bit of irritation flickered through him at her stubbornness. She didn’t know of course since he kept out of sight, but he’d seen what her peaceful decisions did to her. “Well with that being said… your next stop is probably Waterfall then. You can learn more about the history of monsters and humans, and souls there. I’ll stop by the area and show you where to go once you get there.” Sans replied in a dismissive tone as he looked over to Grillby now.

“Thank you Sans. I appreciate your help.” Frisk replied with a gentle smile as she stood and tilted her head gratefully at the skeleton before turning and leaving the building. Sans watched her go, her kindness seeming to radiate into his bones as he felt the flicker of irritation again, this time stronger. His left eye gave off a faint blue glow for an instant before it faded away. He looked to Grillby and asked for a bottle of ketchup in a forced calm tone.

Sans knew his brother really wasn’t that dangerous but… he could still fight. If Frisk just planned on doing as she had been with the other monsters he had seen her fight, she would be damning herself to god knows how many timeline resets. Damning him to knowing his brother was repeatedly dusting her…

Frisk took a deep breath as she walked out of the bar. Glancing down the way she assumed she needed to head, Frisk began walking forward. Her determined steps led her to a quaint looking log cabin at the edge of town. She noticed two mailboxes sitting near the house, one overflowing with mail to the point of bursting and an empty one.

Curiously she looked at the names on the boxes, Sans and Papyrus. Looking at the house she smiled slightly. “I’m not surprised. Their house looks like its pretty bare bones…” Frisk giggled softly at her words trying to keep her spirits uplifted. She wasn’t sure what was to come after this, but the small reprieve from danger and resets would have to last a while and keep her spirits up until she was safe once more.

Glancing one last time at the house and smiling slightly, Frisk quickly made her way east out of town. Frisk’s pace was a brisk one as she walked. She had barely made it out of the small town of Snowdin when a heavy fog began to roll in.

Frisk squinted her eyes unable to see more than a couple feet in front of her face as she walked. “I’m not even sure if I’m going the right way anymore. The only thing that’s telling me I am is the sound of flowing water on my left side.” Frisk muttered quietly to herself as she tried to keep feeling determined to continue on.

The woman found herself stumbling slightly as she tried to keep going. Giving a frustrated sigh, Frisk squinted her eyes hoping she was still going the right direction at least. It was then that she noticed up ahead the flickering of a red scarf. “P-Papyrus?” Frisk called out questioningly feeling as though she recognized the scarf.

Frisk froze in step as she heard the skeleton’s familiar voice in the fog. “HUMAN. I WISH TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS…” The loud voice called out up ahead, the tone sounded like one of confusion.

“Okay…” Frisk replied in a gentle tone waiting for him to continue. She watched as his fog covered figure seemed to pace slightly before coming to a stop once more.

“THESE ARE FEELINGS LIKE THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PUZZLE LOVER… THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER’S PUZZLE SOLVING SKILLS… THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL.” Papyrus’s voice called out as he stood staring at Frisk, while she couldn’t see him to know for sure she felt his eyes staring at her as she remained silent waiting for him to continue on.

“THESE FEELINGS… THESE MUST BE THE FEELINGS THAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW!!!” Papyrus concluded in a loud voice as he grinned in the direction of the human. He knew she couldn’t see him but she had to have concluded that he was smiling since he was a skeleton after all.

Frisk blinked her eyes at the conclusion that Papyrus had reached. “W-what?” she stuttered in shock at the skeleton even though she was unable to see him well in the fog.

“I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST FEEL LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY! AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT! I DON’T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE.” Papyrus said as he put his hand to his chest piece as he bragged a little in a pride filled tone. Frisk was resisting the urge to laugh slightly at the skeleton.

“I’m sure you don’t have to wonder about that Papyrus. You seem like you are quite popular.” Frisk replied in a kind tone as she looked through the fog at the flickering scarf which was the only thing that gave him away.

“I PITY YOU FOR YOUR LONLINESS HERE IN THE UNDERGROUND HUMAN.” Papyrus replied causing Frisk to arch a brow at him.

_“Well… he didn’t need to be so blunt.”_ Frisk thought as a bit of irritation flickered across her face. She had felt pretty lonely since leaving the Ruins, that is until she met him and Sans.

The skeleton paused as if considering his next words. “I’M SORRY I CAN’T BE YOUR FRIEND HUMAN! IT IS MY DUTY TO CAPTURE YOUR SOUL! ONCE I DO I WILL FINALLY BE CONSIDERED POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!!! PAPYRUS…THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!” a determined tone replaced his usual normal loud tone.

“Oh no…” Frisk muttered as a look of fear crossed her face. He couldn’t mean to fight her. Frisk felt her delicate hope shatter as a barrage of bone like projectiles shot through the fog at her. Had she not panicked and paid attention, Frisk would have seen the blue glow of the bones through the fog like a beacon of hope. Instead the woman moved to avoid the attack and felt one of the bones strike her thigh and shatter her leg bone with ease.

A cry rose up from her throat as she was simply injured but not killed. _“His heart couldn’t have been in that attack… maybe I can still talk him out of this.”_ Frisk silently hoped as she whimpered slightly from the pain. “P-Papyrus! You don’t need to fight me to be all those things…”Frisk cringed as the words caught in her throat. “A-all you need to do is keep being yourself. Please… Papyrus just let me go.” She begged softly.

“I… I AM SORRY HUMAN THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE! I HAVE TO DELIVER YOUR SOUL TO UNDYNE!” the skeleton replied in a hesitant tone.”NYEH!” The skeleton gave a faint distressed grunt before another barrage of bones, this time white, came towards Frisk.

_“It may seem unfair to experience this again… and again… and again. You are the only hope to change the monster’s fate… stay determined young one, even through the pain. Your friends are counting on you.”_ A faint whisper of a voice called out through the darkness before Frisk bolted up out of a bed holding in the loud cry of pain that racked her body, she trembled from the effort to stop her screams in her throat. She felt the lingering ache of her shattered leg bone, and the sensation of a second bone piercing her chest that had caused her an instant death.

The pain finally faded after what felt like hours; Frisk lay sobbing softly on the bed. It hadn’t been extreme enough for her to pass out, it seemed like it never was for the resets. She sat up finally able to catch her breath as she looked around to see that she had been reset back to the Inn. “Keep going Frisk… stay determined…” she repeated the words she had heard for the brief moment she was trapped in the darkness in a shaky, unsteady tone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 8 everyone! So there are two things to keep in mind in this chapter… and the chapters following this one as well. The first thing is, I’m absolutely terrible at puns. There is no nice way to put that, I feel like they are groan inducing or may not make a lot of sense. However that being said, the pun wars Frisk and Sans have are meant to symbolize a special moment between the two, whether it’s there to cheer one of them up, or to relieve tension, or really just as a way to break silence. So it’s meant to symbolize a moment for the two… but I’m terrible at puns.  
> The other thing to keep in mind is it’s my personal opinion that while Sans appears lazy, nonchalant, and pretty calm there’s more to him than that. I’ve seen in the game that he can get angry, maybe not to the extent that he does in this story though. I mean, seeing enough reset timelines and traumatic experiences (I mean Flowey isn’t the nicest little shit ever), it could mess someone up just a little bit. He does a really good job keeping his emotions bottled up, but eventually they do manage to leak out. I don’t know how other people view Sans’s character but that’s how I see it.  
> Well my rambling is done. Thank you all so much for reading, for commenting, for your support in general! You’re all fantastic!

Frisk had just finished speaking with the monster kid about the library when she started walking again. The woman paused in step realizing that something seemed off. Every time there was a restart it seemed that things always went the same way as before, but this time seemed different.

Closing her eyes Frisk tried to recall what it was that hadn’t happened this time, when it dawned on her. Slowly the woman made her way to the window of the bar and peered in. Sitting at the bar, his chin resting in his hand as a troubled look appeared on his face, was Sans. He hadn’t come out to greet her as he had last time. “That’s strange…” she whispered softly.

Frisk hesitantly opened the door to the bar before quietly walking in. Making her way over to the bar, Frisk pulled herself up onto the stool next to Sans. The skeleton snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at Frisk with wide eye sockets. He hadn’t been expecting her to actually come to him this time.

“You looked a little bonely…so I thought maybe I’d say something humerus… to try to tickle your funny bone…” Frisk said casting the skeleton a bright smile as she attempted to make him smile as he normally did.

She watched as he blinked at her a couple times, before he broke out into laughter running his boney hand over his face. He could feel the faint heat of a blush across his cheek bones as he looked at the woman happily. “I can’t fibula that was pretty punny Angel…” he replied in between his laughter causing Frisk to laugh as well.

“Oh god… now he’s got a partner…” Grillby muttered in an exasperated sounding tone as he moved away from the two of them as they kept laughing.

Frisk found herself satisfied with the sound of his laughter as she gave a slight sigh while watching Sans start to calm down. Finally catching his breath he looked up at the woman who was grinning brightly at him. His smile dimmed just a bit as he watched her get down out of the chair before looking at him. “Thank you Sans.” She smiled and nodded her head appreciatively at him before turning around to go.

“What are you thanking me for Angel?” he asked in a quiet tone looking at the woman. She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled her gentle smile.

“For laughing with me.” She replied simply before turning to head out to face Papyrus again. The troubled look entered his gaze again, along with a hint of frustration as his eye sockets furrowed almost angrily.

“You’re so stubborn… and persistent…” Sans muttered under his breath as he watched the woman leave the bar.

“What’s your deal with the human?” Grillby asked curiously in a calm tone as he approached the skeleton with a bottle of ketchup in hand. Sans ran his hand over his forehead and eyes in frustration.

“I don’t know…” he admitted honestly taking the ketchup in his hand before taking a sip of the condiment. Sans didn’t exactly have a good answer as to why he was so frustrated with Frisk.

Frisk was back once again with Papyrus just outside of town. This battle seemed a bit different… Papyrus didn’t hesitate to attack her as much in the beginning. Although Frisk was sure he didn’t remember the reset at all. She was trying her best to talk him out of capturing her soul, when his first attack came more swiftly than she remembered. As if the reset had made it a little easier for him to attack her without feeling guilty.

She realized that it was one of the blue attacks Sans had warned her about on her way to Snowdin, and then avoiding the second one as well when he shot white bones at her. “Papyrus, please! There has to be another way. I… I want to be friends!” Frisk called out to the skeleton before he could continue to attack.

There was a hesitating silence once again before she watched a blue ball of energy shoot out of the fog and strike her. It didn’t hurt her but suddenly she felt as though her feet were lead, she couldn’t move nearly as well as she usually could.

“NYEH! I’M SORRY HUMAN BUT EVEN YOUR TEMPTATION OF FRIENDSHIP CANNOT DISTRACT ME FROM MY GOAL!” Papyrus replied in a strained tone. Frisk realized that with the kind of personality Papyrus had she would need to appeal to his pride in order to convince him to let her go. She realized this too late however as she watched another barrage of bones fired her way, this time unable to move thanks to the magic that slowed her.

Frisk jolted awake once more in the bed of the Inn. Quickly rolling over, she screamed in pain into the pillow on the bed. All three of his attacks had hit her but the most painful had been the last. She felt the lingering burning feeling of one of the bones shattering her ribs and piercing her right lung making it impossible to breathe as she tried to gasp for air.

Frisk’s sobs had finally weakened to whimpers as she looked up with teary eyes from the pillow, her body still aching dully. She didn’t think the pain would leave completely this time, but finally it did. Once she was able to stand and move again, Frisk got back to her feet and struggled to make her way outside once again.

Sans opened his eyes as he sat at Grillby’s bar, again, as time was reset. The skeleton clenched his fist tightly as a flare of blue magic engulfed his hand in anger, his right pupil disappearing and his left one turned blue. Frisk was being stupid by just trying to avoid the attacks. His brother was going to keep slowing her down with his magic energy, and talking wasn’t going to stop him quick enough.

Sans exhaled heavily as he abandoned his seat at the bar, leaving in a hurry before he put a hole in Grillby’s wall. The skeleton stalked towards the woods behind his house as his blue magic whipped around his body in anger. Anger that he had to have the knowledge that his brother had dusted the woman twice now, and she wouldn’t fight back. Anger at his brother for being such a bonehead, and anger at Frisk because she was so damn persistent on playing the pacifist.

Unable to restrain himself anymore now that he was out of sight, Sans’s fist lashed out at the nearest tree with enough force to crack the trunk completely through sending the tree falling over in the opposite direction with a loud, cracking fall. He breathed a sigh of relief at finally being able to get rid of some of his pent up frustration over the woman who insisted on putting herself through such pain just to keep her promise of not hurting anyone.

Sans still didn’t understand why he was frustrated about what she was doing. Why when she had been killed twice by the ax wielding K-9 dogs and he had heard her cries of pain behind him once time was reset, he found himself about ready to dust the two himself. He had seen her cry out in pain again when she had spared the two from harm, it felt like his own soul had been hurt as a dull ache had crawled through his chest.

He hadn’t been able to work up the nerve watch her last two fights with Papyrus. He loved his brother since he was Sans’s best friend, but the thought of him hurting Frisk caused an unwelcomed anger to boil in the skeleton’s bones.

Through all the pain though, he watched as Frisk still smiled. She had smiled last time too when he hadn’t been the one to make her laugh, but she had made him laugh instead. A small smile curled his permanent grin upwards slightly at the thought of her words to him, and her calming laugh.

Glancing back over his shoulder Sans realized she would be back to his brother by now when she saw he wasn’t at the bar. Opening a short cut with his magic the skeleton stepped through making a decision. If Frisk wasn’t going to fight back then she was going to need help, and since it seemed he was the only one who remembered the time resets, it made since for him to do it.

Frisk walked towards the outskirts of Snowdin once again. A worried look was on her face as she walked. She had at least expected Sans to still be in the bar, but after gazing in through the window again it was apparent that he was not. She was curious as to how it was he seemed to be able to defy the way the timeline was supposed to go during the resets. Shaking her head to chase the thought away for the time being, Frisk focused on Papyrus, and what she had to do.

Facing Papyrus for the third time, Frisk looked through the fog as she avoided his first and second attack. “Papyrus wait! I really like you and I think you’re great! Isn’t there a way we can work this out?” Frisk called out in her gentle voice.

“WHAT?! N-NO YOU CAN’T LIKE ME! SUPPRESS YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME HUMAN!” Papyrus called out sounding a bit flustered. Frisk nearly tripped hearing that; she hadn’t meant she had feelings for him, just that she wanted to be his friend. However when his bones missed their mark completely Frisk decided it was worth the confusion.

“Erm… b-but, I… um… I can’t help it Papyrus! You’re so cool and awesome… h-how am I supposed to s-suppress my feelings?” Frisk called out in a strained tone. She was no good as an actor, but hopefully it would be somewhat believable.

“N-NYEH HEH HEH! I-I WILL NOT BE DISTRACTED HUMAN!” Papyrus wavered slightly before using his blue energy attack to slow the human down. Frisk gasped as she couldn’t avoid the energy ball and felt herself slowed again.

“N-no good…I’m going to get killed again…” Frisk whispered fearfully as she got to her feet but they felt like lead.

 _“There’s a good possibility defending yourself might be the only way to survive…”_ Sans words echoed in her head as she felt the toy knife from inside the Ruins in her pocket. She didn’t want to hurt Papyrus though, not that she was worried the toy knife would be fatal but still it would be breaking her promise to herself and her vow to prove Flowey wrong if she did hurt someone.

Gasping as she saw the bones shooting her way, Frisk held her arms across her chest to protect her soul as the bones approached her. Her brown eyes grew wide when she saw a second set shoot from somewhere behind her stopping Papyrus’s attack.

“P-Papyrus please! I think you are already really powerful! Please! We can be friends Papyrus! I think you’re the coolest monster ever!” Frisk tried again to appease his pride. She held her breath as his attacks paused again.

“YOU… YOU REALLY THINK THAT ABOUT ME HUMAN?! DO YOU THINK I’M COOL AND POWERFUL?! A-ARE YOUR FEELINGS FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, REALLY THAT STRONG?!” Papyrus said in a hesitant tone. Frisk bit her lip, a little white lie wouldn’t hurt she hoped.

“Y-yes… I really do think that Papyrus. I…I can’t bring myself to defend against your attacks because of how… I feel about you…” Frisk replied trying her best to make it sound like his misinterpretation was accurate.

“I-IF I CAPTURE YOU AND YOUR SOUL I WILL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERERS! BUT…” Frisk listened as Papyrus paused, he had stalled on his attacks for the time being, and Frisk was beginning to feel a tingling sensation in her feet, she hoped that meant her feet would stop feeling like lead soon. “WILL ANY OF THEM LIKE ME AS SINCERELY AS YOU DO?” Papyrus fought internally with himself on the dilemma.

“SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS REALLY RARE… AND SPECIAL…” There was a long pause before he spoke again “NYEH! FIGHT BACK HUMAN!” Papyrus insisted as he tried to attack again. Frisk could hear the wavering in his voice, she had almost convinced him to stop his attacks. Feeling the tingling in her feet stop Frisk managed to just avoid the attack, she swore that she saw another attack block Papyrus’s again.

“Please Papyrus I won’t fight you! I’m your friend!” Frisk tried one last time as she walked up to the skeleton now and stopped in front of him staring upwards at him with a pleading gaze. She held out her hand for him to shake.

Frisk watched as his eye sockets seemed to water slightly, she was suddenly pulled into a bone crushing hug. “MY DEAR HUMAN!” Papyrus said loudly.

“Can’t… breath…” Frisk gasped before she was released from his tight hold.

“HOW CAN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HARM SOMEONE WHO ADMIRES ME SO MUCH THAT YOU WOULD WALK UP TO ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE TO SHAKE MY HAND! I WILL SPARE YOU HUMAN! DO YOU ACCEPT MY MERCY!?” Papyrus looked at the human his eyes no longer watering as he did. Frisk gave a sigh of relief before nodding her head.

“Y-yes Papyrus I accept your mercy. Thank you.” She said casting the skeleton a bright smile. She watched as he turned around looking a bit depressed as he did.

“NYOO HOO HOO… UNDYNE’S GOING TO BE SO DISAPPOINTED IN ME. SHE’S NEVER GOING TO LET ME JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD LIKE THIS. MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL NEVER INCREASE NOW…” The skeleton seemed to hang his head sadly as he mumbled a bit more quietly than normal.

“Papyrus I promise I will be your friend, so you have one more friend than you did before.” Frisk said trying to make him feel better about his decision to let her live.

“I- I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU TO BE MY FRIEND, EVEN IF YOU ARE A HUMAN! ALTHOUGH WITH YOUR SPECIAL FEELINGS FOR ME I FORSEE PROBLEMS! I THINK PERHAPS YOU SHOULD SPARE BOTH OF US THE PAIN AND WE SHOULD JUST REMAIN AS FRIENDS! I KNOW YOU WOULD RATHER BE MORE BUT I FEAR IT WILL NOT WORK HUMAN!” Papyrus spoke steeling himself for the possible amount of tears that would be shed in wake of the human’s feelings for him.

Frisk stood, blinking her eyes, silent. Her brain was processing what he had just implied. Did he really think she… had a crush on him? She didn’t think she had played a long that well to make him think that.

“I WILL TAKE YOUR SILENCE AS QUIET ACCEPTANCE WHILE YOU TRY TO SORT OUT YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME! FOR NOW I SHALL RETURN TO MY HOME! BEFORE YOU CONTINUE ON TO KING ASGORE’S CASTLE FEEL FREE TO COME BACK AND SEE ME!” Papyrus said as he strode past the human quickly while she sorted through her thoughts about what had just happened.

_*PAPYRUS WAS SPARED*_

Frisk felt a sudden wave of pain snap her from her thoughts. It spread through her body like molten lava as she tried to hold in her scream. She felt her knees give out as she finally had to scream unable to hold it in anymore. Blinded by what her body was going through she didn’t feel someone holding her off the ground.

Sans had taken less than a second to appear in front of the woman through one of his magic shortcuts once he watched her double over and realized she was about to fall face first onto the ground. Holding her up to his chest, Sans flinched as he listened to her screams of agony mixed with faint sobs.

The scars on her arms, legs and neck burned with a white hot sensation as she barely stood, unable to move. A streak of pain shot through her head, causing it to spin violently, a moment later blackness took Frisk away as she fell unconscious from the overload of pain to her brain. Her body slumped against the skeleton as the darkness took her.

Keeping a hold of her, Sans listened to the faint whimpers that had replaced her screams. Laying her down on her back, Sans found himself falling back staring with wide eye sockets as the thin dark purple lines the woman had on her skin glowed a faint pinkish purple color and began to spread quickly from the scars across her skin.

Her hands were both almost completely taken over by the small deep purple vines, they had also extended upwards past the sleeves of her shirt. He assumed they had probably spread to her feet as well and he saw clearly they had spread upwards to her knees. The one on her neck had spread all the way around the front of her neck moving slowly to cover the left side as well, her right cheek and up by her right eye were now taken over by the lines.

Sans shook his head not sure he what he had just seen happen to the woman. Looking at her his eye socket arched in confusion, “You really have a story to tell don’t you Sugar? I’m looking forward to hearing it…” He muttered before gently picking the human up in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 9! There’s not too much to say about this chapter really, it’s basically a chapter that catches Sans up with everything that’s been going on up to this point. The poison has spread, and at this point is really when the effects it has on Frisk will start. At first it’s not so bad, but as the fights continue through the Underground it will gradually get harder for my dear Frisk. Also something to mention, after this point there will be swearing in this story. Nothing too excessive, except for when Undyne comes into play, but it will be there. Undyne is a bad ass, Undyne will be swearing, occasionally Sans will as well, Frisk… well my Frisk tries her best not to, she’s not fond of using swear words, but it might happen every once in a while. This is a fair warning to all of you who read the story.  
> I hope everyone enjoys Chapter 9. Thank you all for the comments and support, it means the world to me to know people are enjoying the story!

_“You have a long journey ahead of you young one. Unfortunately that troublesome Flower has ruined what I had planned for you. The power your soul has to alter the time line was not supposed to cause you pain, but aid you in your journey to help the monsters.” The whispering male voice in the darkness returned. Frisk wasn’t sure where she was, but she realized she didn’t feel pain wherever it was._

_“ I will search for a way to undo what has been done for you if you continue your journey through the Underground and help the monsters see humans in a different light. Help break the barrier so they may see the world above ground, if you can only fight through the pain. Just remember even in the darkest darkness you are not alone, I am here as well…” the whispering voice spoke to Frisk in her unconsciousness._

_“I will try my best for the monsters sake. I think they deserve to see the world and not remain trapped in the Underground… and if my soul can help, I won’t say no.” Frisk replied in a gentle tone to the voice that spoke to her. “May I know who you are?”_

_“In time young one… in time. Until then stay determined, I am watching you from the shadows of The Void.” The voice replied in a cryptic tone before Frisk felt the presents fade away._

Frisk felt herself jolted from the eerie darkness as her consciousness returned to her slowly. She heard the soft hum of a television somewhere near her. Frisk felt softness beneath her but it wasn’t wet and cold as the snow was. _“Didn’t I pass out in the snow?”_ Frisk thought to herself in confusion.

On top of that she also felt the warmth of something covering her upper body, it was warm and had a familiar scent to it as she took a deep breath. Brown eyes flickered open slowly as she took in where she was, giving a faint groan Frisk sat up and looked around as her head gave a slight throb.

Looking down at herself, Frisk realized she was covered with a familiar navy blue and black jacket. _“Sans?”_ She thought numbly looking around for the skeleton. She realized she was in a living room; the hum of the television was across from the couch she lay on. Frisk moved to place her feet on the floor realizing that she was in her socks, her shoes had been removed.

“Hey there Angel, don’t move too quick.” Sans voice came from the room attached to the living room, she saw the skeleton clothed in a white t-shirt and his normal midnight blue shorts and pink tennis shoes come out of the kitchen looking at her with a worried gaze, his grin was not very wide indicating he was actually frowning as he approached.

“Sans…” Frisk gave him a bright smile. “D-did you bring me back here?” Frisk was suddenly fearful that Papyrus had been the one to find her; with him being as childish as he was she was afraid he would be worried if he had found her, or heard her screams.

“Yeah… right after you passed out… don’t worry I told my bro you were just exhausted…” Sans trailed off staring at the woman who blushed slightly in embarrassment. “I… think you should explain some things… starting with that.” He indicated in a gentle tone as he pointed at her hands.

Frisk looked down and her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the spreading poison lines that now vaguely reminded the woman of ivy crawling on her skin, she felt the burning sensation of her eyes watering slightly out of fear. “N-no… no, no, no…” she whimpered as her hands started shaking slightly in panic, she felt like she was hyperventilating as she couldn’t catch her breath and her head started to spin again.

“Frisk! Calm down Sugar!” Sans said quickly reacting to her panic as he gently cupped her face in his boney hands. She closed her eyes slowly trying to calm her breathing as she did. “Take a breath and start at the beginning. There’s no point in panicking about it, ‘cuz that won’t help…” Sans reminded her once she had relaxed again.

Frisk blinked open her eyes as she swallowed. “Heh… the beginning. Alright I guess it’s time I tell someone…” Frisk whispered softly in a strained tone. Taking another deep breath she started to explain to the skeleton everything that happened to her once she fell down into Mt. Ebbot.

“And that’s why I passed out after sparing Papyrus. I… I don’t want to tell anyone else about the poison, it will just make all this harder.” Frisk finally finished. During her explanation she had taken to fidgeting with the light grey hood of Sans’s jacket, her eyes staring at it intently as well, so she hadn’t been looking at him for most of the time. Glancing up when he didn’t say anything Frisk nearly jumped to her feet in a panic as a small worried noise caught in her throat.

She hadn’t noticed during her tale Sans growing more and more angry with what she had been put through, both unwillingly and willingly. His left pupil was blue and his eye socket glowing brightly now as wisps of energy flowed from it. His eyes narrowed angrily to near slits and his hands were clenched on his knees. Frisk could see the same blue energy radiating off of his body that had caused his left eye to glow.

“That fucking Flower really knows how to get under my skin…” Sans commented in an eerily calm tone as he shifted his now slanted gaze to the woman. “Are you really okay with what you’re doing to yourself? You’re slowly poisoning yourself for us, and from the sounds of it the pain is going to drive you nuts well before the poison kills you…” Sans spoke in a matter of fact tone as he looked at Frisk.

Frisk swallowed hard but steeled herself as she looked at Sans. “Yes. I know exactly what I’m doing to myself. I WILL NOT kill or hurt anyone if I can help it. Flowey is wrong, it does not need to be a kill or be killed world. If I have to go through this to prove it to him… and anyone else who feels that way then I will.” She said stubbornly.

Sans took a deep breath trying to calm the rage that filled him. He knew being angry about it now wasn’t going to help, so he’d have to keep it to himself. As he brought himself back to his senses his face relaxed, although he was still frowning he managed to calm his expression before looking to the woman again.

“I’ve seen how badly it hurts you… when you were fighting the two black robed K-9 dogs on the way to Snowdin… I remember each reset and I remember how much it hurt you… each time you came back…” Sans said, admitting openly that he remembered what happened after the resets. Frisk blinked her eyes in surprise at the skeleton.

“You were the one who left the note on the sign?” she asked in a meek tone, to which she received a sharp nod.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you didn’t hurt Paps. He’s my brother and I don’t want to see anything happen to him… but at the same time you need to find a way to defend yourself peacefully then… to save yourself from some of the pain.” Sans paused, glancing at the floor in thought.

A minute later Sans gave a nod of his head before he stood to his feet, his grin lifting up as a small smile took the place of the frown. “Looks like I’ll be comin’ with you.” Sans stated as he looked at the woman whose mouth dropped open.

“W-what?” She looked at the skeleton dumbfounded. He gave a slight chuckle, the anger he had felt faded away finally as the blue glow and magic faded as well.

“I’m coming with you to be your body guard. If you aren’t going to fight back, then I’ll make sure nothing can hit you… that and… there’s a royal scientist by the name of Alphys, we’re going to stop and see. Her and I go way back. I want her to investigate this poison and hopefully find a cure.” Sans said looking at the woman. He saw her eyes mist over slightly with tears before he found himself captured in a hug.

“I… I don’t know what to say…” she paused swallowing hard as she pushed her tears back.”The only thing I can say is thank you…” Frisk spoke in a tearful tone, she was scared to let him come with her, she didn’t want to see him get hurt for her. At the same time the gratefulness she felt towards the skeleton couldn’t be put into words.

Sans blinked his eyes, surprised at the hug, before gently returning it as a faint blue hue colored his cheeks and the bridge of his nasal cavity. “You don’t need to thank me Angel…” he muttered softly in embarrassment as she released him and gave him one of her gentle smiles.

“Oh… but Sans, what about Papyrus?” Frisk asked hesitantly looking at the skeleton with a small frown. Sans’s eye socket arched as he looked at the woman in confusion. “I mean… he seems a bit childish… w-will he be able to take care of himself?” she asked hesitantly.

Sans gave a laugh and rolled his pupils slightly. “Angel you don’t need to worry about Paps. I promise as…childish… as he might seem, my bro can take care of himself. If nothing else I know he won’t go hungry thanks to his spaghetti cooking lessons.” Sans grinned brightly now as he grabbed his coat from where Frisk had left it on the couch.

“There is one thing though. Before we go, we’re making a pit stop at Grillby’s. On the way back here it sounded like your stomach was alive, with how much it was growling. I can’t have you turning to skin and bones on me.” Sans grinned at her giving a slight chuckle. The woman blushed in embarrassment before nodding her head.

“Alright… although… I ate something before leaving the Inn. I can’t believe it sounded that hungry.” Frisk commented in a curious tone.

“We’ll chalk it up to the resets that keep happening to you. Or maybe you just need to eat more, I can always try making you a Sanswich…” Sans grinned as he watched Frisk shake her head, a soft laugh lighting up her face brightly.

“Your puns are really rib tickling and I find them quite humerus… but I think you’re right, I need to eat.” Frisk replied grinning even more at the skeleton who snorted and gave a laugh as he shook his head at her, grinning even more.

“Jeeze, aren’t we just a pear.” He said leading Frisk to the door. Laughing softly to herself Frisk followed after Sans as they made their way to Grillby’s.

As they walked Frisk couldn’t help but find herself starting to regret letting the skeleton come along and protect her. She was sure she could protect herself somehow… and with the risk of death seeming to always be lurking in the shadows she was concerned for Sans’s well being.

Glancing down at one of her hands, which was now mostly covered in the poison lines, Frisk felt her tension return at the constant reminder that she was slowly growing weaker with the spreading of the poison. She wouldn’t be able to complete this journey on her own, already she could feel she was fatigued even though she had just woken up recently.

“Don’t worry so much Sugar. Just try to relax a little; like I said there’s no point in panicking if there’s nothing to be done right now about the poison.” Sans said glancing over his shoulder at the woman’s silence. Frisk looked up at his words in surprise before giving a slight nod of her head.

The two entered Grillby’s, Sans greeting the other patrons of the bar as he did while Frisk followed quietly behind, letting her gaze drift to the K-9 unit. Shaking her head slightly to rid her of her fear, Frisk took a seat where she had the previous two times she had come here with Sans. “What’s your stomach cravin’ Sugar?” Sans asked looking at the human curiously as he handed her a small menu.

“I think a burger will do.” Frisk replied as she glanced at the menu before pushing it back to the edge of the bar. The tension she felt was doing a good job driving away her appetite, but if she didn’t eat she wouldn’t have the energy to continue going.

“Sounds good; Grillby we’ll do two orders of burg.” Sans said shifting his pupils to look at the fire man who gave a nod of his head before walking back into the kitchen. The skeleton then glanced back at Frisk, thinking about something that had kind of been bugging him since her fight with Paps.

“So… do you REALLY feel THAT way about my brother?” He asked in a low tone resting his chin in his boney hand as he looked at her. Frisk’s eyes grew wide as she glanced to Sans before staring intently at the counter top, trying to avoid his questioning gaze.

“Erm… w-well don’t get me wrong, I do think he’s pretty cool but… i-if you’re talking about what happened with the fight… I… um… I think he misinterpreted what I had said…” Frisk blushed in embarrassment that Sans had heard what was said in the fight.

“You let him believe it though?” His eye socket arched curiously at the woman. Sans knew sometimes a white lie was okay, but he was curious as to why Frisk had done it.

“I… did, yes. He seems very… prideful. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and I really do want to be his friend. He just interpreted it as something more. It also flustered him enough for me to talk my way out of the fight…” Frisk paused glancing at Sans. If he knew about their conversation then he had been there, and Frisk had a feeling it was also because of him she had managed to talk her way out.

Sans just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly not saying anything in reply to the questioning look in her brown eyes. “You’re pretty thoughtful for a human. I doubt too many other humans would think about Papyrus’s pride.” Sans replied as he felt a bit of tension lift from his shoulders, although he wasn’t exactly sure why.

“We all aren’t bad, selfish, and heartless… I’m sure it seems that way, but quite a few humans are kind. That’s why I need to get to the king without hurting anyone…”

“You’re still hurting yourself though.” Sans reminded her in a low tone as his pupils shifted to her face and neck where the lines had spread.

“I think changing the monsters minds about humans makes it worth it though. I’ve always wanted to do something to make a difference… and this is my chance.” Frisk replied in a calm tone as a small smile lifted the corner of her mouth. _“Especially if I succeed in breaking the barrier.”_ She kept that thought to herself knowing what it would mean. Sans grew quiet again, not wanting to argue with her and disrupt the calmness surrounding them.

Grillby’s timing couldn’t have been better as he appeared with two burgers in hand for the two. Setting the plates on the counter Grillby pulled out a bottle of ketchup and handed it to the skeleton.

“Thanks bud.” Sans grinned at the living flame before offering the bottle to Frisk who took it and put a small bit on her burger before handing it back. “Bone appétit.” Sans added giving a slight chuckle as he watched the woman shake her head and smile at the pun.

Frisk looked at the skeleton with an arched brow when she saw him take a swig of the ketchup, not bothering to put any on his burger before setting it next to him with the cap off. He just shrugged his shoulders at the look before taking a big bite of his food.

The two of them continued to eat in a calm silence, Frisk appreciating the small reprieve from being worried, and Sans knowing that she was at least comforted for the time being. It was going to be a long trip, especially for Frisk.

“Thank you…” Frisk muttered softly casting a sideways glance at the skeleton who looked at her with a confused stare. “Thank you… for your help. I wouldn’t have had a place to stay or food in my stomach if it weren’t for you.” Frisk fidgeted slightly realizing just how lucky she was Sans had decided to help her out. “On top of all that you’ve offered to help protect me… you’re risking your own life for my goals and… I just… don’t know what to say except for thank you.” Frisk rubbed her arm slightly not able to look Sans in the eye.

Sans’s confusion disappeared as he listened to her words. Taking another sip from the ketchup bottle, he looked at the woman and rubbed the back of his skull. The bridge of his nasal cavity and his cheek bones had a faint blue coloring to them as he blushed slightly at her gratitude. “You don’t need to keep thanking me Sugar. It’s a little embarrassin’. I’m helping you out because you’re a human that shows compassion, that’s a rare trait for us monsters to see. If you’re willing to show us some compassion, I think it’s fair that you get some back.”

He paused before looking at her with a slight grin. “Come on, we should probably get going. I know you probably can’t tell time down here but it’s starting to get late.” Sans said putting a small handful of coins on the counter, noting that she had finished her burger already. She followed his lead and they both walked out of Grillby’s.

“Did you want to say good bye to Papyrus before we left?” Frisk asked picking up her pace to walk next to the skeleton now. He gave his head a firm shake as he looked straight ahead.

“If I know my brother, he will try to stop me since he knows that helping a human is going to get me in hot water with the head of the royal guard. I left him a note though, so he knows I’m going with you… he just won’t be able to stop me before we’re gone. I’ll bet though he’ll give me a ring sooner rather than later.” Sans commented in a calm tone as he continued walking forward.

“Also it would be too much effort to explain everything to him. I’m not much for over exerting myself, and I don’t think it’s wise to waste time having you explain it.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly as Frisk blinked her eyes at him. She grew silent for a moment as if thinking about what she wanted to say.

“Alright… if that’s what you want…” Frisk finally commented as she let the situation be, not wanting to argue with Sans. It would be easier if Papyrus didn’t try to stop him anyways, unless she would rather risk another fight with the guardsman. The reminder of the recent pain she experienced told her otherwise as she shook her head.

Walking past the place where she and Papyrus had fought, Frisk paused in step as she looked around. Her hands unconsciously rubbed her arms as she took a deep breath. Looking ahead she saw Sans had paused looking back at her. “Are you coming Angel?” His voice called out over the snowy landscape as he looked back at her with a confused gaze.

“C-coming Sans…” she replied quickly as she followed after the skeleton who was leading the way. She quickly caught up with him as they walked side by side now. “You said we’re going to a place called Waterfall right?” Frisk looked curiously at Sans who gave a nod of his head.

“It’s in a tunnel like cavern that leads through part of the Underground. You can’t really get lost there until you get to the bigger parts of the cavern. I know the area though so we shouldn’t get lost.” Sans spoke in a confident tone as he lead the woman to the opening of what appeared to be a cave.

As the two entered the opening Frisk looked around with wide eyes. It was extremely dark, however a faint luminescent light blue glow filled the cavern from minerals in the wall. It was eerily quiet except for the sound of flowing water that seemed to echo off of the walls. She thought she heard a faint whispering sound every once in a while from around her as well.

Frisk’s eyes were wide as she looked around the cavern taking in the sights and sounds. Sans stood waiting as the human observed her surroundings. “Welcome to Waterfall, Sugar.” Sans said in a calm voice as he averted his gaze from Frisk to look around the cavern as well.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 10! New characters, new story developments, new areas. Lots of new things this chapter. The Waterfall Arc finally starts here. I’m hoping I will do the Undyne “fights” justice since they are mostly just running away from her in the game. Great for a Pacifist… not so great for a human who doesn’t know the Underground so well. Also I felt it was necessary to keep the information in that Waterfall has about the history of monsters and humans, I just hope it isn’t too much. I hope you all are looking forward to Waterfall! Thank you all as always for the comments and support!

“I-it’s beautiful…” Frisk murmured in a soft tone as she looked at around at the blue glow surrounding them. The gentle echo of the flowing water had the woman mesmerized. Sans simply shrugged his shoulders at the comment.

“I guess to an outsider it would be impressive.” His calm tone echoed gently off the walls as he looked around. He didn’t really see the beauty of the cavern anymore but a memory sparked inside him from long ago as he saw the admiring, awe filled look in the human’s eyes. He remembered that once upon a time he had that same look in his eyes.

“Come on Sugar, we need to keep moving.” Sans said as he waited a bit longer before turning around with Frisk following him. Frisk managed to drag her eyes from the scenery to the skeleton in front of her now. She found herself smiling gently at him as she followed behind.

As they ventured further into the entrance of the cavern, Frisk gently rubbed her arms as the damp coldness seemed to sink into her bones. After being exposed to the cold air outside and now the damp air of the cavern she knew she’d get sick from the climate changes if she wasn’t careful.

The two walked through another cavern entrance that lead them to an area where the monster kid from Snowdin was playing at as well as a fish monster of some sort that “stood” admiring a light blue flower. Frisk also saw a healing spot there as well and felt a flash of relief shoot through her.

“Hey! Hey I remember you from Snowdin! Are you hoping to see Undyne too?” The monster kid ran up to the two as he looked at Frisk with a curious gaze. Frisk sensed rather than saw Sans tense up slightly at the name. She glanced curiously at Sans who was looking away from her.

“Undyne is the coolest ever! I want to be just like her when I grow up!” The monster kid spoke excitedly as his black eyes seemed to glow with admiration for whoever he was talking about.

“I-I’m sure someday you’ll be just as cool as she is.” Frisk spoke in an encouraging tone as she looked at the kid who looked up at her with a hopeful gaze.

“Do your parents know you’re all the way out here, Kid?” Sans said abruptly looking at the yellow monster whose eyes widened slightly.

“N-no! D-don’t tell them I’m here big guy! I promise I’ll leave right away!” the monster kid’s tone was one of panic as he ran past the two travelers quickly. Frisk glanced at Sans with an accusing gaze.

“You didn’t need to make him panic like that. It’s nice that he has someone to look up to.” Frisk’s tone was low as she looked at the skeleton.

“Is it nice that that monster is one whose goal is to rip out your soul and present it to Asgore on a platter if she gets a chance?” Sans asked in a slightly snappy tone. Frisk’s eyes grew wide before she glanced at the ground shuffling her feet slightly. “Come on.” Sans said sounding a bit regretful he had been that blunt.

“H-hold on.” Frisk replied as she approached the healing stone right next to a wooden sentry station. Pressing her hand against it Frisk felt a warming sensation engulf her as it helped with some of her fatigue. A faint sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt some of her energy return to her.

“You can use those?” Sans asked curiously as his eye socket arched at the human who gave a nod of her head before revealing the charm around her neck.

“Toriel gave this to me while I was still in the Ruins. She said it would activate the stones.” Frisk explained as Sans looked curiously at the charm now.

“Huh... Only monster magic is supposed to be able to react with the stones…” Sans commented in a confused tone before backing away from the charm and shrugging his shoulders. “That explains how you managed to make it to Snowdin even in your exhausted state. Those stones help with fatigue and weariness.” Sans muttered before he continued walking.

The two crossed a shallow flowing river and made their way back out into an open part of the cavern. As they looked ahead Frisk saw some tall seaweed like grass that grew out of the ground. She and Sans made their way quietly into the thick grass. Suddenly Sans came to a stop looking around with a flick of his pinprick gaze as Frisk stopped beside him curiously, and just as suddenly she felt herself pushed up against the wall by a skeletal hand.

Eyes widened in shock as she opened her mouth to say something, however Sans covered her mouth and glanced upwards. Frisk did the same and felt her body tense up. Above the pair stood an intimidating armored figure that approached the ledge looking outward, she could sense the monster was looking for something…or someone.

It was Sans’s turn to tense up when he heard Papyrus’s voice. “H… HI, UNDYNE! I-I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT.” His brother’s voice echoed loudly in the cavern.

“Damn it…” Sans breathed softly as he looked upwards. Papyrus had excitedly called Undyne upon realizing that Frisk was a human, and here in the Underground as they made their way back to Snowdin. Undyne had been expecting Papyrus to capture the human and bring them to her.

“UH….A-ABOUT THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…” Papyrus started to say, however a deep grumbling sound interrupted him. “WH-WHAT? DID I FIGHT THEM? YES! YES OF COURSE I DID! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER DO YOU T-TAKE ME FOR?!” Papyrus replied in a prideful tone.

The two below heard another low grumbling sound come from the metal clad monster. “D-D-DID I CAPTURE THEM?” the skeleton replied pausing for a moment. “WELL… NO. I TRIED VERY HARD UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END I… I FAILED.” Frisk visibly flinched at the tone of his voice. He had still managed to lose some of his pride despite what she had tried to do for him.

Another deep grumbling sound echoed in the cavern again. “W-WHAT!? YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN’S SOUL YOURSELF?” A hint of panic could be heard in Papyrus’s voice as he spoke.

“BUT UNDYNE! YOU DON’T HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE… WE COULD…” Papyrus stopped and flinched slightly as the sound of Undyne’s spear could be heard.“I-I UNDERSTAND. I’LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN.” Papyrus spoke in a shaky tone, realizing that this was not going to end well if he didn’t agree to help Undyne.

Silence filled the cavern again. Sans gave a soft sigh trying to regain his calm demeanor. “Who’s there!” a low rumbling voice called out as they heard Undyne stalk quickly up to the ledge above them. She thought she had heard something before Papyrus had come to talk with her.

The sound of her spear echoed loudly in the cavern. Her eyes scanned the area below her but she heard and saw nothing. “I guess I’m just hearin’ things…” the monster grumbled slightly as her spear vanished again. Frisk and Sans heard her walk back from the ledge, and after a moment felt as though she had left completely.

A sigh of relief came from the skeleton, before he realized he still had Frisk pressed between him and the wall. Taking a sudden step back, Sans glanced away quickly as Frisk pushed herself off of the wall. “S-sorry Sugar. I just kind of reacted when I realized there was someone up there…” Sans muttered as he tucked his hands deeply into his pockets.

“I-its fine… you just startled me is all. W-who was that, and will Papyrus be okay?” Frisk asked as she appeared slightly shaken. Her face had grown slightly pale during the conversation that had taken place.

“Heh. Don’t worry Papyrus will be fine. Undyne usually has a bone to pick with him about something.” Sans joked slightly as he turned to continue out of the grass. Frisk giggled slightly in spite of herself before following the skeleton.

They had just exited the grass when a sudden rustling drew Frisk’s attention behind her. Looking back she was suddenly prepared to be attacked. She saw a familiar yellow face poke its head out of the grass and grin excitedly at her. Relaxing she saw the rest of the monster kid appear in front of her as well.

“Yo! Did you see the way she was staring at you? That was SOOO COOL! I’m so jealous right now. What the heck did you do to get her attention like that?!” he went on excitedly looking at Frisk with a combination of jealousy and awe.

All of a sudden the kid grew quiet, staring wide eyed at something behind Frisk. The woman felt a strong presence behind her as well, looming over her shoulder. Glancing back she froze. Sans stood behind her glaring hard at the kid that had followed them, a blue bone was balanced in his palm threateningly.

“Sans!” Frisk said in a panicked tone as she grabbed his arm to stop him. His pinprick gaze flicked to the woman for a moment before the bone disappeared and he looked back to the kid.

“Go. Home.” Sans spoke in a serious tone as he watched the monster kid nod his head slightly before taking off in a panicked run. The skeleton sighed softly before running his free hand in an agitated way over his face. Opening his eye sockets he was met with the pouting face of the human in front of him.

“You scared him. He didn’t do anything wrong.” Frisk accused as she stared hard at the skeleton in front of her. Slowly she let go of his arm. Sans gave a slight chuckle before tucking his hands into his pockets again, grinning slightly at the woman.

“I wasn’t gonna hurt him, I just did it to scare him a little. Trust me you don’t want to have an extra body following us around, it could get him or us into trouble.” Sans replied to her look in a lazy tone before turning around and walking away. He didn’t want to admit that he had done it in a moment of panic when he realized that Frisk hadn’t been walking with him, and he looked back to see her standing there with another, potentially dangerous, monster.

Frisk gave an irritated sigh but followed after the skeleton none the less, admitting to herself that he was right. The kid could get hurt if he kept following them around. Glancing back behind her, she thought she saw the yellow head peering out at them from the grass before disappearing quickly. Frisk gave a slight laugh, realizing that it probably wasn’t the last they had seen of him.

With Sans leading the way they made their way through the cavern pretty easily, Frisk still grateful for his help. As a water blossom puzzle was solved and they crossed the makeshift bridge Frisk paused as a faint ringing could be heard. Thinking perhaps it was the phone she had borrowed from Toriel in the Ruins, Frisk pulled it out hoping it was maybe the goat woman, but quickly realized it wasn’t hers. Sans’s hand pulled a phone from his own pocket and answered it.

“Sup, bro?” Sans asked in a calm tone, Frisk blinked her eyes as she heard Papyrus’s loud voice from the speaker.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT’S UP? DO YOU EVEN REALIZE THE TROUBLE YOU’RE GOING TO GET INTO SANS! THIS IS SHEER IDIOCY ON YOUR PART! UNDYNE IS GOING TO…” Papyrus’s voice sounded frustrated as he was prepared to go on explaining all the reasons why this was a bad idea. Sans decided to interrupted his rant before he went on too long.

“Eh… don’t worry Paps. I’ve got everything under control. I’m not that much of a bone-head.” Sans snickered slightly into the phone as he grinned.

“YOU ARE IMPOSSIBLE SANS! I REQUEST TO SPEAK TO THE HUMAN WHICH YOU ARE ACCOMPANING!” Papyrus gave a groan at the pun, Frisk could almost imagine him running his gloved hand over his face in frustration at his brother.

“Okay.” Sans shrugged his shoulders and he handed the phone to Frisk. The woman put it up hesitantly to her ear.

“H-hello?” She spoke in a gentle tone.

“HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!” his loud voice spoke into the phone, Frisk suppressed a giggle as she had already figured out who it was.

“Hello Papyrus.” Frisk replied smiling slightly as she spoke.

“HUMAN! I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU WERE WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES THAT YOU WERE IN SNOWDIN?” He asked abruptly, Frisk blinked her eyes in confusion at the question.

“Er… yeah I am?” Frisk replied in a confused tone as she saw Sans glance at the phone in confusion as well.

“I AM ASKING ON BEHALF OF A FRIEND OF MINE! THAT’S WHY I WAS WONDERING…ER… DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER CLOTHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU’RE WEARING?” Papyrus replied sounding a bit nervous as he did.

“U-um… well… these are my only clothes… I-I mean I have a ribbon I could wear I guess…” Frisk replied in confusion as she pulled the faded pink ribbon out of her pocket. She wasn’t really planning on wearing it though.

“G-GREAT! I MEAN, AS LONG AS I KNOW THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW YOU ARE NOT WEARING THE RIBBON THEN YOU HAVE ANSWERED MY QUESTION!” Papyrus spoke in a nervous tone before hanging up the phone. Blinking at it, still very confused, Frisk returned the phone to Sans who found himself laughing at her confused face.

“We should probably keep going, especially if Undyne is hanging around here looking for you.” Sans suggested as he tucked his phone back into his pants pockets. “By the way, that phone you have is definitely outdated. I’ll see what I can do about getting you a better phone.” Sans commented laughing slightly at the thought of her clunky phone.

Frisk shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t have much of a choice. I lost my own phone either on my way up the mountain or when I fell in, I’m not sure. I was just borrowing this one and forgot to give it back.” She replied to the laughing before walking next to the skeleton.

The two of them entered another long corridor, which was populated with the light blue flowers. A look of nostalgia crossed Sans’s face as he glanced around the room. “Heh… the Wishing Room…” He commented in a strained tone looking around. Frisk glanced at him curiously, but the skeleton ignored the look.

She looked around the room now and heard faint whispers echoing around her again. A flicker of confusion crossed her face as she tried to pinpoint where the voices were coming from. “It’s the Echo Flowers you’re hearing… they are repeating wishes monsters have made over the years. The flowers only repeat the last thing they hear though, so the voices could be more recent.” Sans answered her question she hadn’t asked.

“O-oh, that makes me feel a bit better I guess. I thought I was hearing voices…” Frisk admitted gently as she kept pace with the skeleton. He turned to head north and Frisk followed after him but it seemed they had come to a dead end. Sans however pressed a button hidden in the rock that opened a hidden door.

Walking through, Frisk saw some tablets on the wall where a large wood pier was built. “Those tablets will tell you more than the library ever could about the Underground… if you’re still curious.” Sans commented shifting his gaze to the stone tablets that adorn the wall beside them. Walking up she squinted her eyes trying to read the faded writing. Sans watched her move to the tablets to read them, he already knew what they said so he stood back waiting while she read them.

“The War of Humans and Monsters.” The first tablet on the wall had those words etched into it. Frisk moved on to the next one.

“Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster, just to equal the power of a single human SOUL.” Frisk read the words quietly to herself, she remembered the conversation she and Sans had had the first time at Grillby’s about needing the power of human souls to break the barrier. Looking to the third tablet Frisk moved to continue reading.

“But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. It’s power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death.” The woman put her hand to her chest as if trying to protect her soul from danger. Looking hesitantly to the fourth tablet Frisk walked over to it.

“If a monster defeats a human, they can take the humans SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL… A horrible beast with unfathomable power.” Her heart thudded loudly in her chest as she swallowed, glancing down to the last tablet as she tried to calm herself.

The last tablet was an illustration of what she had always pictured a true monster to be. Black tendrils curled around the creature as it glared at her from the tablet appearing more demon like than monster like. It was depicted with a triangular face, and sharp pointed horns that rose out of the top of its head, its hands in the form of claws.

The picture was very unsettling to the woman, she pressed her finger tips against the tablet. She had a feeling deep inside of her that she would see this monster at the end of her journey through the Underground. Frisk only hoped she had the strength to fight it. Taking a deep breath Frisk worked up her determination before looking to Sans now.

“Let’s keep going.” She nodded to him as the two approached a small raft. Sans held her hand as she stepped unsteadily onto the raft, once she was steady he got on as well.

On the other side was an eerily quiet pier. There was almost no light here except for what shone behind them casting long shadows as they walked. Sans was about ready to say something to try to cheer Frisk up, however a slight movement in the dark above them caught his attention as his boney hand wrapped around Frisk’s wrist and pulled her backwards.

Not even a second later a spear was imbedded in the wood where Frisk had stood. “Run!” Sans said not giving the woman time to consider what had almost happened as he pushed her forward. He turned to glare at the armored monster that was above them now.

San’s eye glowed blue as Undyne returned the glare, making a motion across her neck with her index finger indicating the human was going to be dead meat. “Over my dead bones.” He challenged back before sending a large bone her way to distract her, Undyne easily avoided the attack and turned her attention to the human that was fleeing quickly along the pier.

The head of the Royal Guard showed no mercy as her spears shot towards Frisk, Sans ran to keep up with her trying to distract her but failing as her spear attacks were just near misses. Sans gaze widened as he watched Undyne block Frisk’s retreat with a well timed barrage of spears.

Frisk tried to make her way from the room as quickly as she could, however in the darkness of the cavern it was hard for her to navigate. Freezing in place as she heard a spear shoot past her head, Frisk fell backwards onto her butt, looking with wide eyes at the spears imbedded in the ground in front of her.

“Angel!” Sans called out in a panicked tone as he ran to keep up with Undyne who had finally caught up to the woman and launched another barrage of spears towards her. Blue energy flowed from Sans’s hands as he held them in front of him, hoping he wasn’t too late.

Frisk heard Sans call out from behind her. She knew what was coming and braced herself for the impact of said spears, but they didn’t come. Sudden silence filled the room as Frisk looked behind her to see a wall of bones had blocked the spears.

“TRAITOR!” Undyne yelled loudly as she glared hard at the skeleton who was panting slightly as he ran up to Frisk, picking her up into his arms without a second thought as the spears continued to fly towards them. Half tempted to return fire if only to slow her down, Sans glanced behind him and barely managed to avoid another attack.

The two managed to finally make it into another patch of tall seaweed, while Undyne’s spears continued to shoot in their direction, thankfully not hitting them. Disappearing into the tall weeds, Sans set the woman down on the ground as they hid, he prepared himself to fight if need be. “Don’t hurt her.” Frisk whispered desperately to her friend, who looked at her like she was nuts for a moment before looking back as they heard Undyne’s approaching footsteps to their hiding spot.

Sans watched as Undyne stopped a short distance away looking around, before her fist came down hard. A flash of yellow could be seen in the grass, and Sans almost felt relief. He watched as Undyne lifted the monster kid up by the scruff of his shirt.

“Go home kid! This is no place for you!” Undyne spoke in an angry tone as she dragged the kid off out of the grass. Sans breathed softly before glancing back at Frisk, walking up to the human he knelt down in front of her looking her over.

“Are you okay, Angel?” He asked in a soft voice as the woman trembled slightly as she sat in the weeds. She felt the adrenalin leaving her body as she reflected on what had just happened… and what had almost happened to her as she remembered the wall of bones that had jutted out of the ground to protect her.

“I… think so…” she managed to whisper in a weak sounding tone. Trying to stand to her feet, Frisk felt her head spin as she fell back onto her butt. “I… know it’s asking a lot, but I need to rest…” Frisk admitted in embarrassment.

“I think we can rest for a bit thanks to that kid. At least he got Undyne off our tailbones for the time being.” Sans tried to joke as he extended his hand for Frisk to take. He pulled her gently to her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist supporting her as they walked out of the other side of the weeds.

Gently lowering the woman to the ground, Sans sat down next to her to rest for a bit as well. He hadn’t used quite this much of his magical energy in a long time. He felt a bit drained, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t deal with.

“Thanks Sans.” Frisk spoke in a soft tone as she leaned back against the stone wall behind them, staring upwards at the blue “stars” above them. Sans just gave her a smile in reply before shifting his gaze to keep an eye socket on the area around them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 11! We get to see some familiar faces in this one and a little bit of character development. I’m trying really hard not to make the whole story one big fluff fest between Frisk and Sans. I just can’t see that working too well. However there will be fluff to look forward to in this chapter even if it’s just a little bit. I REALLY am a sucker for sweet moments between characters, other moments too but sweet ones are some of my favorites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you as always for the comments, follows, Kudos… all the support from you guys helps to keep me writing, as long as I know at least one person is enjoying the story.

Sans sat listening to the sounds around them as Frisk rested. The woman’s eyes drooped sleepily as she sat there, and she was soon asleep. Her body tilted sideways and rested against Sans as her head laid gently on his shoulder.

Sans froze as his gaze shifted slightly to the human who was using him as support. He thought about waking her but after looking at her relaxed face while she forgot about her troubles for a while, Sans couldn’t bring himself to wake her. “Heh…” he gave a slight chuckle as his attention returned to the area around them.

“Hey… Angel… we should get going.” Sans finally spoke after a while as he gently poked her forehead with his finger tip. The woman slowly blinked open her eyes, it didn’t take her long to realize she was laying on him. Sitting up abruptly her face blushed slightly in embarrassment.

“S-sorry.” She muttered avoiding his gaze as Sans stood to his feet, before offering her his hand. Looking at him she smiled gently before taking his hand as he helped her to her feet.

“Don’t be. We just need to keep moving now.” Sans said blowing off the apology as he started leading Frisk forward again while she walked next to him. It hadn’t exactly bothered him that she was comfortable enough to sleep with him near. He felt a slight warmth flutter in his chest at the thought.

The two walked through Waterfall quickly, thankful that they hadn’t seen Undyne for a while. While Frisk found herself looking around admiring the scenery of Waterfall, Sans kept his eyes open for any potential threats, as well as keeping an eye on Frisk while they talked about Waterfall. Fisk was curious and asked questions to which Sans tried his best to give a good response.

As they walked along paths surrounded by water now, Sans paused as he heard his phone ring. Looking at it he saw Papyrus’s name come up. “What now?” Sans shook his head as he answered the phone.

“Hiya Paps.” Sans spoke in a calm tone.

“GREETINGS BROTHER. MAY I TALK WITH THE HUMAN AGAIN?” Papyrus’s voice called out from the phone before Sans handed it to Frisk.

“Hello Papyrus.” She said in her gentle voice.

“GREETINGS HUMAN! REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES FOR MY FRIEND?” Papyrus asked loudly. Again a confused look spread across her face.

“Um… yes?” Frisk answered in confusion at the question.

“WELL THE FRIEND I ASKED FOR… HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY…MURDERY.” Papyrus muttered the last word slightly. Frisk recalled how Undyne had been more than willing to kill her and Sans both.

“BUT I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY! AND BECAUSE OF THAT I TOLD HER WHAT YOU WERE WEARING AND ALSO WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WEREN’T WEARING! THE RIBBON!”Papyrus spoke in a proud tone. Sans looked at the phone with a shocked expression, and Frisk couldn’t seem to find her voice.

“AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION… YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY PUT THE RIBBON ON TO CHANGE YOUR APPEARANCE! YOU’RE SO SMART AFTER ALL, IT ONLY MAKES SENCE. THIS WAY YOU’RE SAFE FROM HER AND I DIDN’T LIE!” Papyrus cackled loudly as the plan was revealed.

“Son of a… damn it Paps…” Sans muttered in a low tone running his hand over his face in irritation, he was on the verge of snapping on his brother because of his plan. The plan no one else had been in on at all, not to mention how bad of a plan it actually was. How one piece of clothing was supposed to fool Undyne was beyond his understanding.

“NYEH HEH HEH, BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY!” Papyrus continued to cackle as he hung up the phone.

“I… I think he was trying to help… right?” Frisk asked in confusion as she looked to Sans who gave a loud sigh before nodding his head.

“Yeah… he was trying, but the actual plan wasn’t a very good idea …” Sans admitted as he took the phone back from Frisk before the two continued on.

As they passed through the cavern filled with water, Frisk noticed another tablet on the wall. Looking to Sans who gave a slight nod, Frisk approached the tablet. “The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared.” Frisk could understand that. Being unable to properly die because their soul could be stolen was a scary thought. Frisk briefly found herself glad that she was able to reset now, that way her soul could not be stolen.

The two of them made their way into another room with the path filled with water. Frisk caught sight of something yellow rising out of the water. Sans stopped as she did and the magic in his hand came to life in the shape of a bone in case they were attacked. Frisk quickly grabbed his arm.

“N-no. Maybe we can just keep walking. They might not be dangerous at all.” Frisk looked at the skeleton with a pleading gaze, to which he gave a slight sigh and dropped his arm, his magic dissipating as well.

The two walked quickly through the room, being followed as they did. It wasn’t long before a yellow tentacle blocked their path. Looking around uncertainly Frisk sighed. Sans remained with his hands in his pockets as he looked around too. He could hear a faint gurgling sound from the water. “Get ready to run Angel…” Sans warned as they watched a pale yellow monster rise out of the water. Frisk however saw the wide smile on its face, suddenly she was positive this thing wasn’t dangerous.

“Hey… there… I noticed you were here. I’m Onionsan!” the monster exclaimed excitedly as it rose its arms up into the air, one of them being the object that was blocking their path.

“I-it’s nice to meet you Onionsan.” Frisk replied with a small smile to the monsters words.

“It is… but we really need to be going.” Sans spoke in a calm tone as he nudged Frisk slightly to get her to walk forward again. Looking back at him, Frisk knew he was right but it would be rude to just leave as well.

“Sorry we can’t stay to talk Onionsan.” Frisk said politely as she and Sans kept walking.

“You’re visiting Waterfall, huh! It’s great here, huh! You love it, huh!” the monster said excitedly as it continued to follow them. Frisk looked like she wanted to reply but Sans just nudged her again to keep her walking.

“Yeah! Me too! It’s my big favorite! Even though the water’s getting pretty shallow…” It’s voice sounded kind of depressed at the end, Frisk glanced over to the monster feeling bad for it. “B-but that’s okay! Undyne is going to fix everything soon! Someday I’ll be able to swim in the ocean!” It said excitedly as the three of them made their way down to the end of the room. “This is good bye I guess! Have fun in Waterfallllllllllllllllllll!”

“Good bye Onionsan. I hope you get to the ocean soon.” Frisk said waving at the monster before they left the room. “That went well…” Frisk commented as they kept walking.

“You being that nice is seriously going to keep getting you dusted… you know that right?” Sans spoke as he gave a slightly irritated stare at the woman who gave a slight laugh and nodded her head.

“I know it’s not good to try to be nice to everyone but… there was no reason to be scared of Onionsan either, it didn’t want to fight it was just lonely… like a lot of monsters seem to be.” Frisk commented, saying the last part quietly as they entered another room. Sans didn’t respond he just looked at the human with an arched eye socket.

Could she really change the monster’s opinion of humans? Change the King’s mind? She seemed determined to do that, and as long as she was, Sans would continue to be her body guard since she wouldn’t fight. The skeleton hated making promises but he was no fool. Frisk would never be able to do this on her own, especially since she was being weakened by the poison.

Closing his eye sockets the skeleton reminded himself to keep Frisk at a distance. Deep down he knew not to get too close to the woman, because she was sentencing herself to her own death if she kept sparing the monsters of the Underground, especially if Alphys couldn’t help her. Sans didn’t want to end up hurt in the end. _“Why am I worried about getting hurt? I’m not getting attached to her... I’m just helping her out as a favor after all…”_ He thought to himself as he stared at the ground, his small grin indicating he was frowning at his own thoughts.

Walking down the corridor to the left Frisk read more tablets on the wall as Sans followed lazily behind her. “This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster’s SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster.” Frisk glanced over to Sans for a brief moment after reading this feeling even more worried about the skeleton coming with her.

“There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a ‘Boss Monster.’ A Boss Monster’s SOUL is strong enough to persist after death… if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will.” Frisk’s eyes grew wide as she stared at the tablet.

It was a bit scary to think that human souls were truly that strong. _“Hehe, you don’t even realize how strong your soul is …”_ the little voice she’d been hearing since the start of her journey down here chimed in, in the back of her mind. Sans stopped behind her now, grinning slightly.

“So there’s a little more history on monsters, humans, and SOULS, told ya you didn’t need the library for that. It’s only fair to warn you that your soul is red. That’s the strongest soul a human can have, so it might make you even more of a target if the other monsters find out about it.” Sans spoke as he put his arms behind his head looking at the woman as she turned around quickly.

“How do you know what color my soul is?” She asked holding her hand to her chest. The only way she knew was from when she met the armored dog and she had called out for help to keep her strong. Sans chuckled and gave her a wink.

“There are a lot of things that I know. I’m pretty SANSational like that.” He laughed slightly before tucking his hands back into his pockets and walking ahead of the woman whose eyes trailed after him. He wasn’t going to answer her question. “You coming, Sugar?” Sans’s voice called out as she stood still.

Forcing herself to move forward she gave a slight sigh as she went. Up ahead in the next room was a little umbrella holder that contained several umbrellas. “Take one” the sign next to them said. Frisk grabbed one and popped it open before turning to hand it to Sans who just shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Besides if it’s raining cats and dogs in the next room, I might have to fend off poodles.” Frisk took in what he said before giving a slight snicker that quickly turned into a laugh.

“T-that was terrible!” Frisk said giving a slight giggle. Sans grinned widely and gave a slight chuckle as she laughed.

“That’s true, seeing the umbrella must’ve made my humor a little dry that time.” He replied watching as Frisk covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed again. His spirits suddenly felt a little lighter as he waited for the woman to recover before they made their way into the next room.

Water fell fast in large droplets from the ceiling. Frisk felt bad that Sans was getting soaked. Glancing over at him as he walked in the middle of the path, he seemed unbothered by the water or the fact that he was getting all wet. She gave a soft groan of irritation, and soon moved closer to the skeleton so that her umbrella covered both of them.

Sans looked over him when he realized the water had stopped hitting him. He saw the umbrella protecting him from the rain as Frisk walked closer to him now. “You’re going to be walking through puddles now.” He pointed out, but the woman just gave a shrug. When they entered the room he had told her to walk close to the wall in order to avoid the deepest part of the puddles.

“You should have thought of that before you decided to not take an umbrella.” Frisk replied in a stubborn tone as she glanced over at him. Sans gave a slight laugh and rolled his pupils at her words as they continued on. The soft pattering of water on the umbrella above them, creating a calm atmosphere as they walked in silence.

Glancing over Frisk paused in step as she saw the monster kid again, this time hiding out in a small, shallow cave. How he managed to get ahead of them mystified Frisk as she stared at him. Looking on the ground in front of him she saw he had an umbrella that was pushed all the way up to the point where it was broken. “Sans…” Frisk said looking over to him.

The skeleton glanced questioningly at Frisk before his gaze followed hers. He frowned now. “No. He’ll be fine… it’s just a little water.” Sans replied stubbornly, Frisk looked at him with a frown as he said that. “Sugar… really?” Sans gave a slight growl as he stared at her as she turned to go to the kid’s aid.

Frisk walked over to him kneeling down. “Do you need an umbrella?” she asked in a kind tone looking at the kid who looked up at her with a wide gaze.

“Y-yeah! Mine broke on me when I tried to run through the puddles.” He responded giving her a wide smile.

“Well, we need to get through the rain. I’ll give you the umbrella once we’re at the end and you can walk back. Climb on my shoulders so your feet will stay dry.” Frisk said folding the umbrella for a moment before turning her back to the kid who climbed easily onto her shoulders. Using the wall for support Frisk struggled slightly but was on her feet in a minute and walked back over to the skeleton who appeared to have a neutral expression on his face now.

“Kid… you are really pressing your luck…” Sans warned as the monster kid ducked down a little bit behind Frisk’s head to hide from him. “Didn’t Undyne tell you to scram too?” Sans’s gaze flickered up to the kid.

“N-no! She… she just said it was dangerous here right now with a human running around! B-but I ain’t scared of no stinky human!” the monster kid replied defiantly, although from how he was hiding, Sans could tell he was still scared of him at least.

Frisk chuckled slightly at the comment as the three of them began walking again. “I don’t think you have any reason to be scared of the human. I bet you they’re a lot nicer than what everyone’s been telling you.” Frisk spoke in a gentle tone as they walked.

“That’s a dumb thing to say. All humans are mean and stinky. I hope Undyne beats them all to a pulp with her awesome spears… and fists.” The kid replied looking down at Frisk like she was strange. “She’s so cool! If I was a human I’d wet the bed every night just thinking about how much she would beat me up!”

Frisk grew quiet as he kept talking about Undyne. She definitely could take care of Frisk without any problems. Not only that, but Sans was also in danger in his quest to keep her from dying again. Frisk’s grip on the umbrella tightened a little as the three kept walking on, both Sans and Frisk remaining quiet as the kid on her shoulders continued to talk.

“Yo! It would be so awesome if Undyne would come to school! She could beat up all the teachers!” the monster kid said as one of his fists shot into the air above him and Frisk excitedly. He paused for a moment “Well maybe she wouldn’t beat up the teachers. She’s too cool to hurt an innocent person!” he put his hand back down on Frisk’s head.

Sans gave a slight snort at the comment, and Frisk glanced over at the skeleton with a serious gaze. “What’s that for?” the kid said looking at Sans who glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye before closing one eye socket and putting his hands behind his head as he walked.

“Nothin’. I was just thinking of some puns for later.” Sans said grinning as they walked. The kid gave him a weird stare as they reached the end of the corridor and went to exit the cavern.

As they exited, the water stopped raining from the ceiling and a faint blue glow filled the cavern over them. Frisk’s eyes widened as she lowered the umbrella and stared at the thousands of “stars” above them with an admiring gaze. “Look up ahead.” Sans suggested in a soft voice taking note of the amazed look on her face.

Frisk lowered her gaze and gasped softly as she stared at an impressive castle in the distance, illuminated by the gentle blue lights of the minerals above them. “It’s beautiful.” She breathed softly as her eyes remained wide with astonishment.

Sans stared at her as the blue light surrounded them, illuminating the gentle features of the woman’s face. The light almost made the poison mark softer, making it appear less threatening. Her eyes captured the blue light in them as they sparkled with amazement and a serene smile graced her face for the time being. Sans felt his breath catch in his chest for a moment, unable to move, as he couldn’t draw his eye sockets away from the woman. A dazed expression crossed his face as he felt a slight grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Haven’t you ever seen the castle before?” The monster kid said looking down at Frisk, hitting the top of her head gently as he snapped Sans out of his daze with the remark. Sans turned away from the two as he felt a blush cross his face. Frisk blinked her eyes as the amazement disappeared and she glanced up at the kid.

“Well… not from this view. Sometimes you have to appreciate beauty where you can find it.” Frisk spoke still smiling. For an underground world filled with monsters, the Underground had quite a bit of beauty to it, some almost unreal beauty that the surface world couldn’t compare to.

“We should keep going…” Sans suggested as he glanced back at the two now that he had regained his composure. Frisk inhaled deeply before nodding her head. The three approached the next cavern that would lead them further into Waterfall.

“Alright kid, this is where we call it good. You… should listen to Undyne. You wouldn’t want to run into a human by yourself.” Sans looked at the two of them as Frisk knelt down again letting the monster kid slide down her back. She glanced at Sans before handing the umbrella to the kid who looked at the two of them a little dejected.

“Sans is right, you should go home. There will be plenty of opportunities to see Undyne in action I’m sure of it.” Frisk said pleasantly smiling at the kid. “Go home now. Be safe…” she said watching as he turned and walked off slowly.

Frisk placed a curled fist gently over her chest before turning around quickly and continuing on silently. Sans blinked his eye sockets at the woman as he could almost feel the turmoil radiating off of her. “Sugar… what’s going through your mind?” Sans looked at her as he arched his eye socket.

“I…” Frisk paused the words catching in her throat. “L-let’s keep going…” she said after a few moments of silence. It wasn’t what she wanted to say to him but, it was the only thing she could get out of her mouth.

“If you’re upset about what I said to the kid, I was just trying to scare him again. I get the feeling we’ll be seeing Undyne again in the future. If you’re so determined to protect everyone, you aren’t going to want him there. He might accidently get hurt.” Sans explained as he followed after Frisk who looked back at him.

“N-no it’s not that.” She said trying to give him a smile to ease his worries, but Sans could see it wasn’t as bright as it normally was. “I’m… nervous about continuing on.” She whispered under her breath glancing downward. “I’m scared… of Undyne… of what she can do to me… to you…” Frisk looked at the skeleton with a worried gaze, to which he just brushed off.

“I’ll be fine, and as long as I’m fine, you’ll be fine. I’ll protect you Sugar… I… promise…” he forced out the last words hating to say them since he hated making promises. Frisk looked at him uncertainly before giving her head a nod and continuing onwards into the next cavern.

Looking forward she saw there was a healing stone; approaching it Frisk pressed her hand against the stone and felt her body grow warm. Breathing deeply she felt a bit of relief before looking around.

She saw now there were two tablets on the wall near the stone, eyes widened as she stared at them. “You don’t have to read them…” Sans muttered as he followed her gaze to them. Frisk bit her lower lip before looking over at the skeleton.

“Is it more about the history?” Frisk asked curiously. Sans gave a slight nod of his head and an almost morbid curiosity filled her. “Then… I’ll read it. Who knows maybe all this will help me in the end…” Frisk replied as she approached the first tablet on the wall.

“The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.” Frisk felt guilt fill her heart at what had happened. She hadn’t been around then but the thought that her people couldn’t understand the concept of mercy and sparing the monsters made her sick. Looking hesitantly to the next one she approached.

“In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust…” Frisk took a step back as she read the last part; a soft sound of regret came from her. “That’s… terrible…” Frisk muttered now understanding what Sans had meant when he said something before about her continuing to get dusted.

“Yeah… well war ain’t pleasant Sugar. That’s a fact.” Sans replied to her distress wishing he could make it easier for her but knowing it was impossible. “That’s why for you, down here it’s kill or be killed so to speak…”

“No… I refuse to believe that’s how it has to be. If that was the case my kindness wouldn’t have gotten through to Papyrus… even if it wasn’t the only thing that stopped him.” Frisk said shaking her head as she looked at the skeleton who gave a slight sigh at her words. “Sans… you too. If that was the case you could have killed me already… I don’t doubt that; but you said it yourself, my compassion for you and Papyrus impressed you. You said you’re returning the compassion by helping me.” She said looking at the skeleton who shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“What can I say? My bro is my best friend, you doing him a favor is basically you doing me a favor. I usually repay my favors. Although protecting you is wearing me down to the bone, I’ve got to say.” He tried blowing off her gratitude again. He grinned slightly hoping to lighten her mood and distract her.

Frisk smiled and gave a small laugh at his words in spite of her slightly dreary mood. It was amazing that the bad puns seemed to have a refreshing effect to them that somehow always made Frisk feel better. “Come on Sugar.” Sans said as the two of them looked ahead now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 12 everyone! Thrills and chills await in this chapter. Have I mentioned I’m terrible at writing battle scenes, fighting scenes, and actions scenes? I feel like I am, but that could just be my lack of confidence talking.  
> I just wanted to let you all know that I think after this chapter uploads will go down to one time a week, on Wednesdays, for a while. I’ve run into an issue with this story where I’ve got several chapters written ahead thanks to my bout of inspiration when I first started this but… I’m worried it’s a little TOO much fluff. I’ve stated it before and I’ll say it again, I’m a shipper at heart, but this story isn’t supposed to be ALL about the shipping, however it’s supposed to be there and seen. I’m trying to find a good balance.  
> That being said since I did write it up already I can’t bring myself to delete the chapters I’ve written. So if you guys are interested in a bit more fluff, let me know if you’d like to see alternate chapters of 14 – 17 and maybe I’ll post them as filler while I’m working on writing the story.  
> Thank you all as always for the support, comments, and Kudo's! I’m so happy that others are taking the time to read my fanfic!

Looking at the wooden walkway in front of them, Frisk felt a sudden unease as she recalled what had happened before. “Don’t worry Angel. I’ve got your back. We need to keep going or you won’t get to where you want to go.” Sans spoke in a calm tone trying to encourage the woman who looked at him and gave a determined nod.

After taking several steps onto the walkway Sans felt the air around them crackle slightly with magical energy, grabbing Frisks arm he pulled her close as white circles formed around them. A blue shield protected them as Frisk saw white spears shoot up out of the ground where she had been standing before they vanished. The shield flickered and died out as Sans gave a slight growl his eye turning blue in the darkness as he looked below them where Undyne stood glaring at them.

“Go!” he yelled as the two of them ran again, this time having to avoid the white circles that appeared all around them. As lazy as he could be, Sans was pretty nimble on his feet as he avoided the attacks. However trying to get Frisk to keep up with him was hard as the woman fell behind. Not knowing the Underground at all and not being able to see in the dark as well as him had Frisk lagging behind as she tried as hard as she could to keep up with Sans.

Frisk gasped as a ring of white circles surrounded her in an effort to stop her from running. Sans was already a short ways ahead of her as they had gotten separated while she was trying to avoid the attacks. Suddenly the spears shot up around her, trapping the human causing her to give a scream of fear.

The sound stopped Sans in his tracks as the skeleton looked back to see the woman looking at him with wide eyes. “Angel! No! Undyne stop!” Sans cried out as panic gripped him when he saw white circles forming below her. “Angel!” He yelled closing his eyes trying to use his magic to protect her as the spear attack shot upwards.

Before the blackness of the reset engulfed him, Sans saw the spears pierce through the woman’s body. Her soul bursting from her chest as the multiple blows caused an instant death. Scraps of fabric from her clothing seemed to be suspended in the air around her from the attack, and a sickening, crimson liquid could just barely be made out on the magical spears that pierced her body. Unable to see her death in front of him anymore Sans snapped his eyes closed tightly feeling a tightness in his chest. Suddenly he heard the woman give a scream beside him.

Frisk jolted out of the darkness, sitting up and giving a scream of pain as she wrapped her arms around her sides. The feeling was indescribable as the pain of multiple spears piercing her body lingered causing tears to form in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. Suddenly she felt herself pulled into a comforting hug as her scream died away to sobs. Skeletal fingers ran through her hair as she was held closely against Sans’s sternum.

“Don’t worry Sugar, you’re not alone.” She finally heard Sans’s voice muttering once her ears stopped ringing. She could hear his labored breathing as he spoke gently to her trying to ease what pain he could. Sans gently placed a hand on her cheek and lifted her face upwards. He saw her slightly glassy, unfocused gaze as if her soul wasn’t in her body yet. After a minute ,she blinked her eyes and her gaze came back into focus as she stared at him now.

“S-Sans?” She said in a raspy, confused tone. Every time she had come to previously after a reset it had always been alone, but the sight of her friend in front of her now filled her with comfort as she grabbed two handful of his shirt, pulling herself closer to him as a few more sobs escaped her lips. Her body was still wracked with pain from the attack as she tried to not move as every movement seemed to cause her to suffer.

Finally calming down as the pain passed she looked to the skeleton who was holding her to him. His gaze was filled with regret as their eyes met. “I-it’s alright S-Sans. T-there wasn’t much you could do at that point.” She muttered softly trying to comfort her friend. “W-we just n-need to get up and g-go again.” Frisk sniffled slightly but determination still filled her tone. The skeleton watched with a hint of admiration in his pinprick gaze as the woman struggled before pushing herself back to her feet.

“Use the healing stone.” Sans spoke in a strained tone as he pointed behind the woman, the reset had taken them back to the room prior to the wooden pathways. Helping her walk as he wrapped his hand around her waist, Sans pressed her hand to the stone then placed his on it as well.

Frisk felt some of her fatigue leave again although it didn’t feel like it did as much as before. “We need to stick together this time. I’ll stay behind you, this way we don’t end up separated.” Sans said finally getting his breath back. It was the first time he had ever personally seen Frisk die before the reset happened. The memory of the helpless look in her eyes caused Sans to tense with anger at himself for being so careless. The glassy look in her dazed eyes when they had come to made him think she was still dead for that agonizingly long minute before her gaze came back into focus.

“O-okay. We’ll stick together.” Frisk agreed weakly as she looked forward now before taking several deep breaths to calm herself down before the two walked towards the wooden walkway. Frisk grew hesitant, but swallowed her fear knowing that she couldn’t go any further if fear held her back.

The fight started just as the last one had. Sans shielded them from the first onslaught of spears before the two took off running again. This time Sans stayed just beside the woman as he produced a flame of magic in his hand to help give some light to the surrounding area to stop Frisk from running off the edge of the walkway. _“Shit… Undyne is too fast when we’re like this… at this rate she’ll get us both with one well timed hit…”_ Sans realized as they approached the same point as last time.

A white circle formed just in front of them causing Frisk to pause slightly in the run as Sans caught up to her. That pause gave Undyne the opportunity to create several more magical spears in group beneath the two. Sans realized Frisk’s pause would be the death of her, and the helpless look she had given him before flickered through his mind, causing him to react without thinking. His skeletal hand grabbed her wrist and flung her forward away from the spears just as they shot up out of the ground.

Frisk’s eyes grew wide in shock as she covered her mouth to stop the scream from coming. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched the attacks pierce the skeleton in front of her. Biting her lip as she watched shreds from his jacket fly into the air around him, Frisk felt her voice caught in her throat. _“N-no!”_ she yelled mentally as she felt her heart thud in her chest, closing her eyes in a panic at the sight Frisk finally gave a soft sob.

_“Reset! Please, please reset!”_ she tried to call out her power to reset even though she hadn’t died. Drawing up a strange power from deep within her soul, Frisk felt as though she couldn’t breath as she suddenly felt as though she were in the middle of a wind vortex. Frisk’s eyes remained closed as she waited for the sensation to subside.

Suddenly it felt as if the vortex had stopped and Frisk fell forward onto her hands and knees, a sharp pain shooting through her head as she gasped slightly in shock. A sudden gasp followed by coughing in front of her caused one of Frisk’s eyes to shoot open as she looked around. She saw Sans sitting on the ground holding his hand against his chest as he coughed, trying to get his breath back.

“S-Sans!” Frisk said in a weak tone as she quickly made her way over to the skeleton who was gasping loudly now. She placed her hand gently on his spine sitting down on her knees next to him now.

“I-I’m okay…” he replied in a rough voice as he coughed a bit more. Sweat beaded his forehead as he ran his hand weakly over his face. “H-how did you… what did you do?” Sans asked weakly, his voice still rough.

“I… I don’t know. I think… I managed to reset the timeline without dying.” Frisk replied as she placed her hand over her right eye as a headache formed between her eyes. Before Sans could say anything else Frisk covered her mouth before moving away from him in a hurry. He turned away as he heard the woman throw up.

Panting slightly Frisk stumbled backwards before falling down flat onto her back. She breathed heavily as she lay on the ground letting her stomach settle. “That sounds about right. Traveling magically doesn’t always sit well with some people. Usually that’s the outcome the first couple of times.” Sans said weakly looking over to Frisk now who nodded her head.

The two remained in the area before the wooden walkway for some time, both of them needing to rest from the experience. Frisk felt exhausted from this particular reset as it seemed to have taken a lot out of her, and Sans’s mind was still reeling on what to do now.

Finally a frustrated look crossed his face as he stood to his feet. “That’s it. We’re doing it my way this time.” He couldn’t keep the frustration out of his tone as he spoke. Frisk blinked her eyes and sat up from her laying position looking at him with a tired gaze.

“N-no hurting her Sans… please… o-otherwise I’ll go on by myself.” Frisk threatened as she looked at the skeleton who gave her an annoyed glare.

“Fine. Then I’m carrying you through there this time. Even with your weight I should still be able to go fast enough to beat the attacks.” Sans responded to her plea with a hint of irritation in his tone. Frisk gave a tired sigh but nodded her head in agreement. “If her attacks do get too close I’m gonna return fire to at least distract her.” Sans warned the woman as he stood to his feet and picked Frisk up in his arms.

The fight started just like the last two times except this time, Sans was carrying Frisk. He was able to block the first attack and took off running before Undyne had a chance to react. White circles began appearing around Sans as he dodged the attacks with more ease this time.

There was several close moments as the spears just missed the pair, but by carrying Frisk, Sans was free to worry more about where he needed to go than where they both needed to go. There were a couple of times where Sans actually had to pull up a shield to protect them from the attacks but it was going better than their first two attempts.

Making his way across a large square area of the pier, Sans saw what he assumed was an escape route as he ran along a long narrow pier now. He was keeping just ahead of the spears as he ran. Giving a gasp as his eyes widened, Sans came to a stop at a dead end of the pier.

Panting from the run, he looked over the edge seeing nothing below them. “S-Sans…” Frisk murmured fearfully knowing they were trapped. The loud sound of footsteps behind the pair causing the skeleton to tense up.

“Damn it!” he hissed angrily as the footsteps came to a stop. He turned around slowly to face Undyne now, who looked as though she was breathing heavily from the chase as well.

“Sans… let me talk to her…” Frisk insisted as she struggled to escape from the skeleton’s hold. Sans tightened his hold slightly as his pinprick gaze fell to Frisk’s.

“If I put you down… you’ll be dead where you stand.” Sans replied to Frisk’s request. “At least like this I’ve got a minute to think about what we can do.” He said looking at Undyne who glared hard at the pair now.

“Sans, you traitor... put the god damn human down and let me end this stupid chase… NOW!” Undyne growled angrily at the skeleton as the sound of her spears appearing could be heard in the darkness.

Sans was quiet for a second considering his options before a look of realization flickered across his face and he chuckled slightly at the head guardsman as his left pupil turned ocean blue. “As much as I’m sure the human is just undyne to meetchya I think we’ll pass.” Sans spoke in a calm tone as Undyne took a step towards him causing the skeleton to take a step back as they neared the edge.

“I don’t have time for your damn games!” she snapped before bringing her hand downwards. Sans stepped back a bit and flinched as the sounds of spears crashing into the wood in front of him could be heard. He felt Frisk trembling slightly in his arms as another reset seemed to be the only option.

“Huh. That’s too bad Undyne. I was hoping maybe we could talk this out tibia honest. Oh well looks like we’ll just have to drop it.” Sans’s grin lifted into a smirk as he took another step back and dropped off of the edge. Frisk buried her face into his jacket as the feeling of free falling made her stomach churn.

Suddenly the feeling of falling changed to the feeling of floating downwards as Frisk peeked one eye open hesitantly. “Now come on Sugar, you can’t think I didn’t have a plan.” Sans chuckled slightly as he looked down at the woman. Frisk blinked her eyes up at him before looking around. Sans’s blue magic surrounded them as they slowly descended into the darkness.

“W-where are we going to go though?” Frisk asked still gripping onto Sans’s coat for dear life. She looked below them and saw nothing, but heard the sound of flowing water.

“This area leads down to a water fill, it’s where a lot of junk and garbage ends up. I just remembered there was a way out. Even though it might not be the best option, I’d rather be soaked and alive instead of the alternative.” Sans spoke as he looked down at the human in his arms.

By the time they finally got down to the water fill Sans was breathing a bit heavier than before as he let Frisk stand to her feet. The bodies of the two were now about halfway immersed in the water. Looking around Frisk felt herself shivering slightly as the water chilled her. “Do you need to rest?” She asked looking to the skeleton who gave his head a slight shake.

“We need to keep going. I can rest once we get to dry land.” Sans insisted knowing that they shouldn’t spend any more time than necessary in the water. He looked around not sensing Undyne’s power before they walked forward wading through the water.

The two came to a small pier in the water that would provide them a temporary reprieve and give Sans a moment to relax after using his magic as he had. Sitting on the pier also gave Frisk a moment to reflect on what had happened as well. She stayed quiet as the sight of Undyne’s spears piercing Sans continued to replay in her mind.

It was a painful memory and despite how much she wanted to think about something else she couldn’t help but dwell on it as she fidgeted uncomfortably. “S-Sans… are... are you sure you’re alright?” Frisk asked in a soft tone as she glanced out of the corner of her eyes at the skeleton who was lying on his back for the moment.

He sat up and looked over at the woman with his eye sockets narrowed in a puzzled expression. The look he managed to see in her eyes reminded him of how he had felt when she had died in front of him. His expression softened as he grinned at Frisk. “I won’t lie that was the closest to death I ever want to come but… yes I’m fine. I’ve got some pretty tough skin…” he joked slightly.

Frisk gave a small giggle but became serious a moment later as she looked at him now. “Can you promise me not to sacrifice yourself like that again?” She asked hoping to get a different answer than what she was thinking.

Sans stared at her before giving a sigh and shaking his head at her. “I can’t make a promise like that. If that’s what it takes to keep you safe then that’s what I’ll do.” He replied stubbornly. Frisk smiled even though she hated the answer as she stared at him. His answer filled her with determination to try to prevent him from having to step in and save her from her own actions again.

“I didn’t expect any other answer from you honestly.” Frisk admitted as she stared ahead now. Deciding the conversation had reached an end, Sans stood to his feet holding out his hand to help her up. She accepted his hand and the two jumped back into the water, wading through it to continue on.

The two came to a large area filled with several mounds of garbage. Making their way carefully through the water as they wove in between the piles, Frisk glanced ahead. Up ahead she saw a path that led to the exit, but before that she saw a familiar looking training dummy. Pausing in step she stared at it with a puzzled expression.

Sans glanced over at her with a curious stare as she just stared at the water logged dummy. “ _This dummy here is an immobile monster.”_ Toriel’s voice replayed in her mind as she blinked her eyes before shaking her head slightly.

“Look I know the dummy is interesting and all but you dunce need to stare at it.” Sans commented as he grinned at the woman who blinked her eyes looking at him with an unbelieving gaze. A slight snicker escaped her as she ran her hand over her face.

“Did you really just make a dummy pun Sans? I have to say you’re sense of humor is a bit wooden.” Frisk replied with a slight giggle as Sans gave a laugh now grinning widely at the human.

“Eh, I’m just trying to be a good model for ya.” His reply earned him a round of laughter from Frisk as she finally snapped out of her serious state for the moment. Covering her mouth to try to stem the laughter for now, Frisk looked at him with a happy gaze causing him to grin with pride as he closed his eye sockets. “We should keep moving, the sooner we get out of the water the better.” Sans suggested as the two continued onwards towards the land ahead of them.

A sudden rumbling sound filled the air causing the two to look behind them in shock. They watched as the training dummy turned a bright red color, his emotionless gaze shifting to an angry glare. The dummies body split open at the middle revealing a large mouth filled with sharp teeth as he growled and released magical blasts in the shape of mini dummies at the two. “Holy shit!” Sans yelled in surprise as his eye flared and his magic surrounded them just in time to block the attack.

The dummy disappeared under the water for a minute before shooting up in front of the two, effectively blocking their escape. “You two think you’re sooooo funny dontchya?! Well that was pitiful. Pitiful! PITIFUL!” a voice yelled out at them from the glaring dummies mouth. He gave a wail of anger and shot more magical blasts in the shape of mini dummies at them, knocking both Sans and Frisk backwards away from each other.

Frisk found herself submerged completely in the water as she landed. Gasping she quickly stood up out of the water coughing as she choked slightly before gasping for air. She looked at the dummy who approached her with a menacing glare. “You. You! YOU! I’m a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY! My cousin used to live inside a DUMMY too! Until YOU came along!”

Frisk backed up slowly from the glare, suddenly feeling the wall behind her. “B-but I didn’t do anything to him. I-I just talked to him!” Frisk defended herself weakly as she looked at the dummy who hovered around her angrily.

A blue barrage of bones that was shot near them surprised the mad dummy who looked over with an angry glare in the direction the attack had come from. Sans stood a short distance from the two his blue magic formed into a fiery looking bone in his hand. “Get away from her.” He warned in a low voice as his eye sockets narrowed angrily as his left one was blazing brightly in the dim light. His grin was so small Frisk thought for sure he was frowning for a second.

“Sans no!” Frisk yelled at the skeleton who kept his glare on the dummy. Frisk started moving to try to get to Sans however the mad dummy shot his dummy bullets at her, hitting her hard and sending her falling back into the water. Coming back up she pulled her wet hair out of her face just in time to see the dummy fire another round of mini dummy bullets at the skeleton who just managed to avoid the attack.

Frisk realized the water was slowing her friend down; he wouldn’t be able to keep avoiding the attacks for too long. “Mr. Dummy please! You don’t need to fight us! I don’t want to see you get hurt!” Frisk tried to talk the dummy out of its rage. It just turned and glared hard at the human taking it’s attention away from Sans.

“Shut up. Shut Up! SHUT UP!” the voice from the dummy yelled angrily at her. “You’re a worthless piece of garbage! I’m going to make you SHUT UP!” it yelled in a rage as more energy blasts appeared around it. Frisk crossed her arms over her chest trying to protect her soul. She wasn’t sure how many more attacks from him she could take. Her body was already starting to feel heavy as she struggled to stand.

A large magical bone struck the dummy before he could fire his attack, knocking him backwards and dazing him. Sans made his way as quickly as he could over to Frisk now, his whole body surrounded in vibrant blue magical energy as he approached. “Are you alright Angel?” he asked in a soft tone looking at the woman with a worried gaze as he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady.

“Y-yes but…” She glanced over at the mad dummy who gave a groan. Sans followed her gaze and knew what she was going to say.

“I’m sorry, but I had to do it. As long as I’m here I won’t let you die again.” Sans said stubbornly. After he spoke the whole room shook with a roar of rage as the dummy rose into the air again, glaring angrily at the skeleton who had dared to attack him.

“Stupid! Stupid! STUPID! I’ll make you pay bone boy!” it roared in an angry rage as it formed it’s attack again, sending the bullets speeding towards the two. Sans’s eye socket narrowed again and his blue pupil flared with magic as the attack hit a barrier and bounced off. The dummy roared angrily and shot another round of bullets; Sans sent a barrage of flaming bones towards the bullets causing them to disintegrate in the air as the attack just missed the dummy this time.

Sans was panting slightly now as sweat beaded on his forehead. He was running out of stamina to keep up his magic shield and magic attacks. Realizing he might have to take a couple of attacks himself in order to protect Frisk, Sans braced himself for the next attack from the dummy. However before another attack was unleashed the two heard a wail of despair and looked over at the monster.

He was hopping around trying to avoid rain droplets that seemed to appear from nowhere above him. “W-what the hell is this?! Acid Rain?! F-forget this! I’m out of here!” the mad dummy wailed as it hopped away quickly from the painful liquid, while Frisk and Sans watched in confusion.

_*MAD DUMMY WAS SPARED*_

Frisk’s body twisted in a sudden spasm as she tried to keep her legs from giving out. She gasped before a scream of pain escaped her. Sans realized what was happening to her and pulled her against him tightly, holding on as he felt her legs give out and her body try to sink into the water.

Frisk let out a cry of pain as her whole body felt like it was on fire. A sharp ache stabbed at her chest as she tried to breath and cry at the same time. She sobbed as her body shook violently. As badly as it hurt her, the feel of Sans arms holding her securely in place almost made the miserable pain bearable.

The pain passed, and Frisk fought with herself to keep from passing out as she whimpered slightly. Her whole body felt numb but she also felt chilled to her soul as she shivered in Sans arms. “Come on Angel. I’ll find someplace for you to rest.” Sans spoke in a soft tone as he lifted the woman into his arms now.

“Is she okay?” A faint whisper of a voice asked in the air in front of them, although no one was there. Sans held her protectively against him as he glanced around looking for the source of the voice. “…Sorry… I forgot I was invisible…” the whispery voice spoke again as a ghostly figure started to appear in front of them.

“N-Napstablook?” Frisk asked in a weak tone recognizing the monster from the Ruins. Sans looked at the monster, who looked down at Frisk.

“You remember me… that sure is nice of you.” He commented looking at the woman with a soft stare. Sans looked between the two uncertainly now, not sure how they knew each other.

“O-of course… I remember you…” Frisk said as she tried her best to give the ghost a bright smile, however she soon found herself coughing weakly as she tried to breath in order to calm the small coughing fit she was having. Sans gave her a worried look as she finally managed to stop and inhale deeply.

“She looks like she needs to rest… my house is just up the way… it’s not much but I do have a bed there…” Napstablook spoke as he too had a slightly worried look on his depressed face. Sans slowly made his way forward eyeing the monster carefully with his white pupils.

“You won’t attack her at all?” Sans asked as he kept his eye on the monster hesitating to take the tempting offer. It wasn’t normal for anyone to be that nice if they knew what Frisk was. He almost would have assumed it was a trap if not for the look of surprise that flickered across Napstablook’s face.

“Attack her?” Napstablook blinked his sad looking eyes at the skeleton. “No, I like her… not to mention she was awfully nice to me in the Ruins when I did try and fight her. She even tried to help me attack her by giving me advice since I’m not a fighter. She might be a bit strange but she’s nice…” Napstablook spoke in a slightly less depressed tone as he looked at Frisk fondly before floating ahead of the two.

Frisk gave another weak cough but shifted so she could look after Napstablook as he left. “See… kindness does pay off…” she muttered softly shifting her gaze to Sans now. The skeleton watched the ghost with a curious stare before looking down to Frisk, giving her a slight smile but not saying anything. “We should go with him, I’ll be useless if I don’t rest. I’m out of energy…” She whispered softly to Sans who gave a slight nod of his head.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 13 everyone! I’m sorry this is a little late, I was extremely busy irl yesterday and didn’t have time to re-read the Chapter to make sure everything sounded alright until last night. Since I was extremely tired last night and had done some edits, I didn’t want to upload this Chapter until I could read it again in a less sleepy state of mind. I feel like everything flows pretty well though.  
> I guess this Chapter is the slightest bit fluffy or maybe it’s more Sans fighting with inner emotional turmoil caused by Frisk. Either way I hope you all enjoy Chapter 13, the most unluckiest of chapters XD.  
> Also the next chapters are the start of where the alternate story starts. I’m still considering if I want to post the alternate chapters or not just for fluff sake, and I’m still pretty happy with them. If I do I’m also not sure if they’re going to take the place of a normal chapter upload or if they will be a bonus one.  
> Thank you all for the comments, faves, and follows! I really appreciate them more than you guys realize!

The two walked up the path out of the water fill, trying to leave the memory of the mad dummy behind them. Frisk found herself feeling terrible that Sans had to attack the monster. She wasn’t stupid, she knew why he did it, if nothing else it was for her safety but… the thought still nagged at the back of her mind as her eyes fluttered tiredly.

“There’s a healing stone…” Sans spoke in a relieved tone as his gaze shifted ahead. He saw Napstablook hovering near by the stone before floating on ahead again after making sure they were still following him.

“Thank god.” Frisk breathed tiredly; at least she could heal the damage done by the dummy this way. She was set gently on her feet by her friend as he supported her while she stood. Frisk pressed her hand against the stone and felt the warm relief flood through her. She gave a soft sigh of content, now at least feeling as she thought she could walk on her own again.

Frisk still felt chilled though as goose bumps appeared on her skin and she tried not to shiver. She covered her mouth, trying to hide another weak cough. Frisk jumped in surprise as she felt a weight suddenly on her shoulders, looking at them she saw that Sans had placed his surprisingly warm and dry jacket over her. Looking at the skeleton questioningly as he walked past her in his white t-shirt now, he gave her a slight grin.

“You looked cold. I don’t have an issue with temperature changes, not to mention I can use my magic to dry myself off quickly, I assume though that you’re probably freezing. Especially after wading through that water for the better part of an hour, and then getting completely soaked.” He spoke to her as he pressed his skeletal hand against the healing stone as well.

Closing his eye sockets, Sans gave a soft grunt of relief. He hadn’t exactly been aware of just how much of his own stamina and energy he had used since the escape from Undyne. Feeling more energized now he looked at the human who was staring at him, a small smile forming on her face.

Frisk smiled brightly at the skeleton feeling happy that he would do such a thing for her. “Thank you Sans.” Her voice was filled with gratitude as she continued to look at him. Sans shrugged his shoulders easily at the woman before giving her a nod, her appreciation causing a little flutter in his chest.

“Don’t mention it. You can’t get sick now, there’s still a long ways to go.” Sans said grinning slightly at her as he ran his hand over the back of his skull. “Let’s go. You probably need to rest, and if Napstablook is willing to let you rest at his place we should take the opportunity.” The skeleton spoke as he turned around to follow the ghost. Frisk smiled and gave a nod as she pulled her arms into the sleeves of his coat, her own clothing still soaked.

_“You probably shouldn’t get too close to the bone head…”_ the little voice in the back of her mind warned her coldly. Frisk swallowed knowing that it wasn’t wise to do it, but… what if she couldn’t help herself? _“Try harder to stop it then.”_ The voice replied firmly to her mental question. Frisk chose not to respond to the answer as she followed after Sans.

Following the path that Napstablook had taken, they saw two oddly shaped houses in front of them. They kind of looked a little like how the ghost himself looked. A straight square base made up the bottom half of the houses, and then the top part seemed to come out and lean over dejectedly; each one had a small roof just on the top of the leaning section. The two houses leaned in opposite directions; one house was red and one blue.

The ghost hovered in front of the door to his house as he waited for them. “This way…” He looked at them before disappearing through the door of the blue house. Sans and Frisk glanced at each other before making their way into the house. Once inside the house the two looked around curiously. It appeared to be a single room house with a really high ceiling, on the north side of the house sat a small refrigerator, a small tv, and a large desk with a computer monitor on top and a computer tower beneath it. On the south side of the house was what appeared to be an unused bed that had several CD cases placed on it.

Sans tilted his head slightly as he watched the woman walk towards the bed while his gaze flickered around them. It was the first time Sans had learned anything about Nabstablook considering how much of a recluse the ghost appeared to be. Sans had seen him pass by the sentry station in Waterfall on occasion, however the two never really shared a conversation; Sans usually too lazy to say more than a greeting and Napstablook simply returning it with a slight nod that was barely noticeable. It had basically gotten to the point where Sans didn’t think the ghost could talk at all since today was the first time he had heard the monster say anything at all in all the time he had known him.

“The bed might be a little dusty… it should be comfortable though…” the ghost spoke in a wispy voice. Frisk blinked her eyes at the bed and walked over to it looking at the names that were written onto the CD’s curiously. “D-don’t mind those. You can go ahead and put them under the bed… that’s where they belong anyways.” Napstablook spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone. Reading the titles Frisk glanced curiously to the monster now.

“Are they CDs that you made?” She asked curiously looking at the ghost who stared at the floor not sure if he wanted to answer or not.

“Y-yes…” he admitted softly before turning away in embarrassment and floating over to the computer in the corner. Frisk looked at him and gave a bright smile walking over and setting them down gently on the desk.

“Then they belong here, where you can display them proudly.” She looked at Napstablook as she sat them down smiling slightly before walking back over to the bed and laying down on her back looking upwards. “Would you… play one for me before I sleep? I’d like to hear what you’ve done.” Frisk requested in a soft tone as she stared up at the ceiling.

“O-oh… s-sure, if you’re sure it won’t bother you…” Napstablook responded hesitantly, a faint dusting of pink on his face in embarrassment as he levitated one of the CDs out of its case and put it into his computer. An odd sounding techno beat played quietly from the speakers of the ghost’s computer. It was actually quite a relaxing sound.

The thought of Napstablook’s hard work creating the CD filled Frisk with determination as she smiled slightly while her eye lids grew heavy. “It’s awesome…” she muttered sleepily before turning over on her side. “Sans?” Frisk called out realizing she hadn’t seen him since entering the house.

“Yeah, Angel?” the skeleton was suddenly by the bed looking at her. She shifted slightly as her brown eyes looked at him before closing them again.

“I just… you were just pretty quiet is all…” she murmured in a soft voice to Sans who gave a slight chuckle at her concern.

“I was just thinking about some things is all.” He replied in a slightly tired sounding tone as he sat down on the floor next to the head of the bed, leaning back against the wall as he did.

“You sound tired. Maybe you should rest too.” Frisk suggested snuggling into the pillow that her head lay on, pulling the hood of his jacket up over her head as she did.

“I’ll try Sugar. Just worry about resting up.” Sans replied giving her a slight smile. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he really couldn’t sleep. He was plagued by insomnia, and if by some chance he did drift off, it usually resulted in nightmares thanks to his excessive knowledge of reset timelines. Little flashes of the timelines that caused him unending unease, and occasionally terror thanks to the stupid little Flower who also had the ability to reset the timeline at will.

Sans watched as the woman drifted off to sleep for a little bit. His eye sockets appeared to soften as he looked at the woman, feeling his chest grow warm slightly. Thinking back he recalled the look that Napstablook had given her when she spoke to him. Glancing over at the ghost out of the corner of his eye socket Sans pondered silently to himself, wondering about the twinge of jealousy that had invaded his mind when Frisk had smiled at the ghost and why he felt it flash again at the soft stare that Napstablook had given her.

_“Quit being stupid Sans…there’s no reason to be jealous. It’s not like it matters to who she knows.”_ the skeleton thought silently to himself as his eye sockets scrunched together in frustration _“Heh, apparently it does bother you or you wouldn’t be having this conversation with yourself, hmm?”_ a little voice in the back of his mind whispered with a snicker. Sans gave a frustrated sigh as he placed his skull in his palm staring down at his legs, his eye sockets closed as he rested a little bit while sorting through his thoughts.

_As she slept Frisk felt as though she were drifting along in an endless black void as she glanced around her. “You’re treading into dangerous waters Frisk.” The voice from the back of her mind spoke to her. Frisk looked around searching for the source of the voice. “You don’t want to get too close to anyone…” the voice warned her in a neutral tone._

_“I… I’m not getting close to him. I know what I’m getting myself into... I know what’s going to happen once I get to Asgore, thanks to the poison.” Frisk argued in a determined tone. Her brown eyes widened as she saw a red light in the darkness. In the center of the red light was a red heart shape as the light was trying to take a form in front of her but it appeared to be struggling to do so._

_“Heheh… I hope so. Getting close to others just gets you hurt in the end… but you know that well thanks to your last boyfriend. Heh, it hurt seeing him make that lovey dovey face at the other woman when you caught them didn’t it?” the voice spoke in a slightly mocking tone. Frisk’s eyes grew wide as she placed her hand over her chest feeling a painful thud at the reminder._

_“Hey! S-shut up! This isn’t like that at all… a-and even if I did feel that way, Sans wouldn’t… “ Frisk paused wanting to defend herself, wanting to believe that she wouldn’t be hurt, but uncertainty lingered. The uncertainty made her heart feel as though it would break in half. The voice just gave a slightly amused giggle at the turmoil she caused in the woman with her comments._

_“THAT’S ENOUGH!” A strong male voice broke through the dark. Frisk jumped fearfully before realizing it was the voice of the person who had called her to the Underground. “You should be more mindful of the person that makes it so you are able to exist.”_

_“Heh… go figure. The old man to the rescue again. You should talk to her about her budding feelings then…” the voice replied in a mocking tone before growing silent once more._

_“W-what’s going on?” Frisk asked weakly looking around her as the light dimmed slightly in front of her. The person in the darkness felt familiar in more than one way. Closing her eyes a moment she realized it was the same person she felt near her every time she was killed, and every time the pain got to be too much and she passed out._

_“Your soul is very special Frisk. The red soul is the most powerful soul a human can have, which in your case is good. Your soul and determination are how you are able to alter the timeline. However it is a problem because your soul is so powerful it can take on its own form in spirit. It can never exist in the real world but, its spirit can use your body to act in the real world if you allow it to. The voice you hear is the soul’s spirit form. It appears malicious and cold though, quite a contrast to yourself.” The man replied to her question in a slightly frustrated tone. Her soul’s presents felt oddly familiar to the man as he stared at the pair curiously from the shadows that surrounded him._

_“O-oh… so the voice I’ve been hearing is my soul?” Frisk asked in a slightly disbelieving tone as she looked at the red light that had grown quiet. It was quite an interesting thought to wrap her mind around, but it wouldn’t be the most bizarre thing she had learned while down in the Underground._

_“Yes. As hard as it might be to believe, your soul is able to communicate with you in the way a human would talk to another human. It’s actually quite fascinating… and dangerous considering how she was able to pull both your spirits into this plane the same way I am able to…” the voice muttered as its owner was filled with curiosity._

_“I can’t keep you here long this time as time is of the essence. It’s time for you to wake again before you drift off for too long. I will warn you… be weary how close you get to your body guard. This situation is not exactly a good thing for either of you… especially if feelings are involved. I don’t want to interfere if I don’t have to.” the man warned in a stern tone but didn’t elaborate as waves of energy pushed Frisk away from where she stood and back out into the darkness._

Frisk’s brown eyes fluttered open slightly as a dim light shone in through the window in the top of the house. Frisk could make out the outline of Napstablook sitting at his computer with a pair of headphones on. Shifting her gaze closer she saw Sans sitting in the same position he had been when she fell asleep, except now his skull was tilted downwards and his eye sockets were closed.

“You awake already, Angel?” Sans voice suddenly cut through the air. One of his eye sockets opened as his pupil appeared slowly while he looked up and over at the woman. He was still working through his inner thoughts, which was a painful process as he tried to figure out how Frisk had him acting and feeling things completely out of the normal for him.

“Yeah… I am.” She admitted in a hesitant voice wanting to sleep a little more. Sans gave a nod of his head as he stood up and stretched slightly. Frisk sat up as well rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She at least felt a little better now compared to how she felt before. “About how long was I out for?” Frisk asked curiously.

“Not more than five or six hours I think. It’s hard to tell time down here though.” Sans admitted as he held out his hand to help the woman to her feet. Frisk nodded her head in agreement with the comment as she stood and stretched as well. She took off the comforting jacket and handed it back to Sans who hesitated for a moment before taking it from her.

Putting his arms back into the sleeves of the jacket Sans paused as he put it back on. Her scent was strong and clung to the cloth material of the item. It made him grin just a little as he pulled it back on now, although he couldn’t explain to himself why the scent made him happy, it just did.

“Leaving already? I hope you feel better now.” Napstablook floated over to the two of them as he looked at Frisk who smiled brightly at him. Her kind smile seemed to warm the ghost from the inside out as he looked shyly at the woman. That flicker of jealousy stung at the back of Sans mind as he averted his gaze from the two.

“Thank you very much for letting us rest here Napstablook.” She bowed her head graciously to the monster causing him to blush faintly at her expression of gratitude.

“N-no problem. Um… c-can I know your name?” The ghost looked at the ground as he spoke unable to look the human in the eye thanks to his shyness.

“I’m sorry, I thought I told you! My name is Frisk, and I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us.” The woman bowed her head apologetically as she spoke. Napstablook looked up at her and smiled, a tiny little smile but it was there as he gazed at her softly.

“Frisk… you’re so nice… I hope… we can meet again.” He murmured in a shy tone, although he still gazed fondly at the woman.

“Tch… as sweet as this is we should get going. Undyne is going to figure out where we are soon if we’re not careful.” Sans finally spoke up in an impatient tone as he glanced between the two of them before turning quickly to leave, he didn’t like the tight feeling that filled his chest as he listened to the conversation. The jealousy grew a bit as Sans fought to keep it out of his tone.

Frisk stared after Sans with a disbelieving look before looking apologetically to Napstablook.” I’m sorry… I promise he’s grateful for your help too. Good luck with your music, I think you’re going to do well.” Frisk bowed her head to the ghost before leaving quickly to follow after the skeleton whose pace seemed to be a lot faster than normal.

“Sans!” Frisk yelled after him as she picked up her pace to catch up with her friend. “What was that all about?” she asked walking in front of the skeleton stopping him as he walked, she had her hands on her hips eyeing him with a frustrated but curious gaze. He blinked his eye sockets at her before giving his shoulders a slight shrug.

“It wasn’t anything.” Sans replied as he hunched his shoulders slightly and pushed his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat and avoided Frisk’s gaze, she thought she heard an undertone in his voice, that there was something he wasn’t saying. “Look I’m sorry I ruined the moment but we really do need to keep moving as long as you’re able to keep going. You might not be able to tell but I can see your stamina doesn’t last very long… probably thanks to that damn poison.” He answered in a slightly snappy tone as he straightened up to look at the woman before walking forward again.

Frisk stared after him with a look of confusion on her face. What moment was he talking about? Blinking her eyes the woman followed after him in silence as she recalled the conversation that had taken place with Napstablook. Blinking her eyes again something dawned on the woman, something that she hadn’t realized before. The look the ghost had been giving her and his shy demeanor... she realized he might like her, maybe he even had a crush on her? Apparently Sans thought so too. The undertone she had heard in his voice was possibly jealousy.

Pausing she looked after the skeleton now. She felt her chest grow warm at the thought that he might have been jealous that perhaps she liked Napstablook more than him. A small smile lifted her lips as she hurriedly caught up with the skeleton falling in stride with him. His pinprick gaze glanced over at the woman who he caught looking his way for a moment with an odd look on her face.

“What’s that look for?” he asked in a low tone as the two walked on coming to a crossroads where Sans paused looking around for a moment before continuing east. Frisk glanced down at her feet debating with herself before looking to the skeleton.

“Umm… n-nothing. I just wasn’t expecting that reaction from you. Thank you for being concerned about me. Just to clarify, there definitely wasn’t a moment there, I was just thankful for the chance for us to rest without the danger of being hunted.” She spoke in a calm tone, not sure how to address what he assumed was a “moment” between herself and Napstablook.

Sans looked at the woman with a blink of his eye sockets before turning his gaze forward again. He shrugged his shoulders gently. “Even if there was a moment, it’s not really any of my business…” Sans paused as he realized his tone sounded strained. He swallowed trying to regain his composure. “Maybe it seemed that way just because he was a bit transparent with his emotions.”

Frisk glanced over at Sans and laughed at his pun as she covered her mouth slightly. Shaking her head she smiled slightly. “With how timid Napstablook acts, I don’t think he has a ghost of a chance to have a moment with anyone without making a spectral of himself.” Frisk replied giving a small grin as she glanced over at Sans.

The skeleton’s grin grew wider as he drug his hand down his face and laughed, glancing at Frisk out of the corner of his eye socket once he stopped. He didn’t reply as he tried to keep up his nonchalant demeanor despite the relief he felt at her words. As the two continued on, the tension that had built, thanks to Sans, faded a bit as they walked through Waterfall.

Frisk paused in step as she saw two more tablets on the wall of the corridor they walked down. The last ones had filled her with regret, and she was hesitant to read these ones, but again her morbid curiosity compelled her to look at them. “Sugar… you’ve already got the basic idea you don’t need to keep reading them…” Sans spoke recalling what her reaction had been last time.

“I know… it’s like I’m almost compelled to read them though. If I try to walk past them I just find I can’t.” The woman admitted as she looked to the skeleton who accompanied her. He gave a slight nod of acceptance and waited for Frisk to read the tablets.

“Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest mages sealed us underground with a powerful spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave.” Frisk recalled the conversation she had just recently while she had slept. In theory she could walk right out of the Underground if her soul was that strong, as long as her physical strength held out of course. She glanced down at the winding marks on her skin, reminding her of ivy, slowly taking over the trellis host that helped it grow.

“There is only one way to reverse the spell… if a strong power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier… it would be destroyed.” Frisk blinked her eyes as she read the passage. She hadn’t realized there was a way she could still help break the barrier. If her soul was that powerful maybe… just maybe she could use its power to control the other six souls that Asgore had and break the barrier while still showing the king compassion and kindness. “Alright…” she spoke in a soft voice looking over at Sans with a slight smile as she started walking forward again.

As the two continued on down the corridor it seemed to grow darker around them with each step. As the darkness seemed to press in on them Frisk moved a bit closer to Sans. She felt nervous that something was hiding in the darkness. As they moved forward her worry was dispelled a bit when she saw a faint blue glow that seemed to fade into view the closer they got to it.

Frisk blinked her eyes in surprise as they approached an area that was pitch black, except for a faintly illuminated grassy path, and trees similar to pine trees that glowed blue in the darkness like a beacon. “Stay close. There’s no light in here, but there are mushrooms that react to monster magic and they will light the way for a short bit.” Sans said as he squinted slightly in the dark before slowly following the path that was illuminated by the grass. The odd mushrooms flickered to life as Sans walked by them, lighting the way for the two to move on.

Frisk paused as she looked across the way to another path to the south. An odd musical sound was playing from that way and several signs were posted leading further south. “What’s that?” She asked softly, glancing to Sans who stopped and looked where she was looking.

“…Temmie Village…” he muttered in a strained tone as a shiver crawled up his spine. Frisk looked at him with a curious stare as she heard the tone of his voice and watched as he visibly shivered.

“Can we go there?” Frisk asked curiously looking at the skeleton who shook his head violently in answer. She blinked her eyes, curious as to the reaction of her friend.

“I will NOT go there again… one visit once in a lifetime is enough to scar me for life… and I can’t say that about most monsters. Those Temmies are a different story though…” Sans replied sternly as he kept walking. Frisk gave him a confused stare before following after him. That was the only time she had ever seen him act that way.

“Is it that bad there?” Frisk asked tilting her head curiously at the skeleton who simply nodded his head vigorously. Suppressing the urge to laugh at his discomfort, Frisk continued walking behind Sans now as he lead the way across the winding path that seemed to flicker in and out of view.

Entering a cavern past the glowing path Sans almost suggested carrying Frisk again as the cavern around them slowly became pitch black. Using his magic a small blue flame flickered to life in his skeletal palm as the two moved on. “I-it’s dark in here…” Frisk whispered softly, her tone fearful as they walked.

“Yeah… I don’t remember it being this dark…” the skeleton replied hesitantly as he looked around, using his dim flame to try to get his bearings and figure out where he was. The two walked through a gently flowing stream of water before making it to the other side where the darkness seemed to press in on them.

Walking forward slowly, Sans grew nervous. Why couldn’t he recall this room? It hadn’t been THAT long since he’d been to Waterfall and his memory hadn’t failed him yet. The faint glow of an echo flower could be seen ahead of them as they approached it, a wall behind it signaling a dead end; the faint voice of the flower whispered something.

Frisk lowered her ear to the flower to better hear it. “Behind you…” a faint creepy voice echoed in the dark. Frisk stood her eyes growing wide as she felt a presence behind her, Sans tensed as he felt it too. The cavern suddenly filled with blue light as if there had been magic that had been extinguishing the light of the minerals.

“Stay behind me…” Sans spoke in a low tone to Frisk as they turned around to see the imposing figure of the head of the royal guards approaching. She came to a stop in front of the two, her hands clenching and unclenching menacingly.

“Seven.” Her voice called out startling Frisk, and causing Sans to shift to a defensive position. “Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, OUR king…” she punctuated the word our loudly as she glared at Sans, “King Asgore Dreemurr… will become a god.” The sound of Undyne’s spear echoed loudly around them as it appeared in her hand.

Sans’s magic engulfed him as the blue magical aura surrounded him now. “Please… don’t…” Frisk whispered softly, her hand gently gripping the fabric of the arm of his jacket as his attention stayed on Undyne. She knew he would protect her but she did not want Undyne to be killed.

“With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier! He will finally take the surface back from humanity… and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured! Don’t you remember what we’ve been through Sans! Every day we suffer is because of humanity… and you DARE to stand in the way of ending that suffering!” Undyne roared angrily as she pointed her spear at the skeleton.

“I’ll willingly help break the barrier! I can use my soul to do it!” Frisk’s voice cried out from behind Sans. “Listen to me Undyne, I don’t want to see you monsters suffer. I understand what you’ve gone through isn’t fair and…” Frisk was forced to stop speaking as Undyne threw her spear at her in an angry rage. Sans blocked the attack with his barrier causing it to deflect away.

“Shut up human! You don’t understand a thing, and you never will! I don’t want to hear any of your pathetic lies! You’d willingly break the barrier? HA! Like I believe that!” the guard’s voice rang out angrily in the room. Undyne grunted as she took a step backwards and threw another spear, this time taking aim at Sans to try to wear down on his magic and give her an opening to attack the human.

“Undyne!!! I’ll help you fight!” a familiar voice called out of the darkness above the three as the monster kid dropped down from a ledge from somewhere above, landing with a thud in between the three. Undyne had already thrown the spear and Sans still had his magic shield surrounding him and Frisk.

The woman was suddenly filled with determination as she ran past Sans before he even realized what she was doing. His barrier fell as he lost his concentration, and the skeleton moved out of the line of fire of the spear that was heading his way. His voice and Undyne’s both called out something in unison that was lost on Frisk as the woman jumped forward tackling the monster kid to the ground as the spear pierced the air above their heads where the kid had just been standing.

Sitting up the woman looked at the kid who blinked his eyes and gave his head a slight shake. “Are you okay?” she asked in a worried tone before the kid looked at her wide eyed.

“Yo! Did you see that?! I didn’t even see the human! Undyne’s spear must have disintegrated them! I don’t even…see… anything… left… ” The kid paused as if something dawned on him as he stared wide eyed at Frisk. Before he could say anything else however Undyne grabbed him angrily by the scruff of his shirt once more and drug him off safely away from the human.

She glanced over her shoulder at the two and glared hard, silently telling them this wasn’t over. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief as she sat on the ground. “Angel… you’re gonna be the death of me… I swear it.” Sans’s voice muttered weakly behind her as he resisted the urge to sink down to his knees in relief.

“Heh… what can I say… I am to die for…” Frisk managed a weak chuckle as her heart thudded in her chest. Sans mimicked the weak laugh with one of his own as they both took some time to breathe now that they were safe for the time being.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to Chapter 14! I tried to find a way to incorporate the Undyne game fight into the story as best as I could. I think I at least got the fleeing part down well :D I’m sure there’s some of you out there that are looking forward to Sans fighting Undyne but I am trying to keep this as true to a Pacifist Run as possible so don’t expect too much on the fighting aspect of things. So we’re almost out of Waterfall at this point and ready to move onto the Hotland Arc of the story, for some reason I’m struggling with writing this part because of irl stress and an Underfell story idea I have floating around in my head but I think I’ll be able to keep up with the update schedule. If not I apologize in advance, but don’t think the story is abandoned I’m just trying to write the best story I can. Thank you all as always for the comments and Kudos! I appreciate all the support from you all! :D

Frisk and Sans quickly noticed the dim blue light of grass showing them the way out of the dead end area. Following the path north as they entered another cavern, Frisk looked around in awe as she saw the room completely filled with Echo Flowers. The whispering around them seemed to be a constant murmur that filled the air.

“Looks like we’re going for a dip again…” Sans commented with a slight sigh as the path through the room was water logged. “Do you want me to carry you through here?” he asked hesitantly looking at Frisk. She was the one he was really worried about since she could easily get sick from the chill in the air and the chill of the water.

“No… it’s not that deep this time. I should be fine.” She shook her head gently stepping into the water which came up to her calves this time. Sans followed suit and the two walked up the long corridor as the whispers of voices of the past could be heard. Pausing in step the skeleton cast an odd look at one of the flowers but shook his head and continued on when Frisk glanced back at him.

It wasn’t too long before they exited the water covered pathway and made their way into the main cavern once again. Frisk saw a large bridge extending over a deep chasm ahead of them. Giving a gulp she glanced down not seeing the bottom.

“Don’t you know the rule about not looking down? Especially if you’re afraid of heights.” Sans said as he stood next to Frisk. Looking ahead Sans glanced over at the human. “We’ll have to walk single file across this thing. I’ll go first just in case there’s something up ahead…” Sans spoke as he stepped onto the creaky bridge.

Frisk swallowed her fears and stepped after him, hoping that the quicker they got off the bridge the quicker her anxiety at the thought of falling would go away. They had just made it half way across the bridge when Frisk froze in mid step.

“YO!” the monster kids voice called out from behind them. Frisk turned around surprised to see him, surprised he had managed to get away from Undyne so quickly. Her fear prickled at the possibility that the monster might be close by.

She watched as the kid approached them slowly, a strange look on his face as he looked at Frisk. It looked like a combination of resent, confusion, anger and sadness. He stopped right in front of the woman looking up at her, ignoring the threat of the skeleton behind her.

“Yo, I know I shouldn’t be here but… I… I gotta know something.” He paused as if it was hard for him to ask the question. “A-are you really a human?” he asked in a slightly louder tone. Taking a deep breath Frisk looked at him.

“Yes. I am a human.” She answered him in a soft tone. She listened as he gave a slight laugh, a sad laugh, before he looked her in the eyes again.

“I-I knew it… or I know it now… Undyne… she told me, ‘stay away from that human.’” The kid paused as he shuffled his feet slightly. “I-I guess that makes us enemies… doesn’t it?” he muttered looking at his feet. Frisk felt her heart thud painfully in her chest as he looked up at her with a teary gaze. “B-but I-I’m terrible at that…” Frisk knelt down to try to comfort the kid but he stepped back away from her, as he tried to hide his sadness behind anger. “S-say something mean so I can hate you!” He said loudly to the human as he tried to blink back his tears.

Frisk shook her head and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry but I can’t. I’m not mean, or heartless, or scary. I’m just…a nice person.” She replied the smile still on her face as she looked at the monster kid, he looked at her still on the verge of tears.

“F-fine then I’ll do it! I… I hate you.” The kid couldn’t say it with enough confidence to even make himself believe it. “M-man… I’m such a turd. I-I’m gonna go home now… so… you won’t see me again…” he backed away from Frisk a few more feet

The monster kid turned quickly to try to run, a loose board creaked and broke beneath his feet causing the kid to lose his balance and fall sideways off the bridge. Closing his eyes as a scream escaped him he tried to grab whatever he could to save himself. Frisk threw herself forward as her hands grasped his long tail in an attempt to save him. The bridge suddenly shook as Frisk nearly lost her own balance as her top half dangled dangerously over the side of the bridge, hanging onto the kid as she tried to pull him back to safety.

“Undyne, stop!” Sans’s voice came from behind Frisk as she looked up to see that the armor clad monster had been what had caused the bridge to shake. Ignoring the spike of fear in her heart, she held onto the kid who was struggling slightly in her grip. His body twisted as he hung upside down looking below him before he looked up at the human that had his tail in her hands with a teary gaze.

“Q-quit struggling, I’m losing my grip.” She said through gritted teeth as she pulled him upwards back onto the safety of the bridge. Letting him go, Frisk looked over the kid making sure he wasn’t hurt. She saw him stare at her with a dazed look on his face. “Y-you’re safe…” she breathed a soft sigh of relief.

Frisk looked up in front of her seeing and feeling Undyne take a step forward. Giving a squeak of fear the woman backed up using her arms to pull her back as a piercing eye stared at her coldly from beneath the helmet. She watched as the Monster Kid quickly stood to his feet and turned around facing Undyne as his body trembled slightly in fear.

 “Y-Yo… If you wanna hurt m-my friend you’ll have to get through me!” The kid’s voice echoed in the cavern, Undyne backed away from the kid towards the far end of the bridge. Frisk saw the opening and quickly turned standing to her feet as she stumbled losing her footing a moment before running to catch up to Sans who was waiting at the end of the bridge.

“We’ve gotta go, now, before she decides to keep chasing us.” Sans spoke in a serious tone once Frisk caught up with him. The two turned and ran for the next part of the cavern in front of them. Exiting through the opening, Frisk looked at the ceiling above them, a dull red light lit up the cavern instead of the normal blue she had gotten accustomed to.

“We might be able to make it to Hot Land before she can catch up. She hates the place so we’ll be safe for a while.” Sans panted as they kept running. Just as he said that a spear pierced the air in front of them bringing them to a stop “Ah, shit!” he cursed putting his arm out to stop Frisk from going any further.

“You two are COWARDS! Using the kid as a shield!” Undyne shrieked from a ledge above them as she jumped down now. Her helmet had been abandoned in the fall, and Frisk realized for the first time just what her face looked like.

Blinking her eyes, Frisk stared at Undyne, who looked like a fish monster. She had dark blue fish scales which covered a majority of her skin which was also blue, the only thing differentiating it from the scales was the smooth appearance in comparison, mostly on her face. Her bright red hair was pulled back into a pony tail; a black eye patch covered her left eye, the other yellow one glared hard at her and Sans. There were two fins coming out of the side of her head like ears, and two long yellow fangs protruded from her mouth further down then the rest of her pointed teeth did.

“Seven…” Undyne growled as her gaze shot to Frisk. “Your bull shit goody-two-shoes act won’t change my mind… I WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL TO ASGORE!” Her spear appeared in her hands in a flash of blue energy as she spoke. “Even if I have to go through your body guard to get it!” Undyne yelled as she charged at Sans with her spear. The skeleton moved quickly to the side of her attack pulling Frisk with him as he did.

“Undyne, please I don’t want to fight! Frisk called out as she tried to step out from behind Sans now, however the skeleton wasn’t going to let her open herself up to an attack as he put his arm out to stop her. “I want to be a friend, not an enemy to monsters! You all keep attacking me but… but none of you truly deserve to be attacked back.”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about us, and life in the Underground! Killing you is the only way to end this!” Undyne rose her hand up into the air causing several spears to appear around the two. Frisk and Sans both looked around them, Sans knowing he’d have to conserve his energy if they were going to make it to Hotland alive without attacking Undyne.

“Get ready to avoid the spears, Sugar…” Sans muttered softly to the human who nodded her head. The spears shot at the two trying to pierce them through. Frisk just managed to avoid the attack as she stepped back just in time to avoid a spear aimed at her, then she ducked low when one shot where she had just stood. A third one shot at Frisk as she tried to stand up again, she just managed to roll off to the side towards Sans and avoid the attack. Sans moved quickly to the left to avoid one spear before jumping backwards to avoid another one, giving a slight growl Sans drew his magic into his palm and fired three bones in Undyne’s direction forcing her to jump off to the left opening up an escape route for them.

Frisk was the first to notice this as she darted towards Sans, grabbing his arm to stop him from attacking again. “Run!” she said looking back at the skeleton who was thrown off by her move as she let him go so that he could follow her into the cavern entrance in front of them.

Panting as they ran they heard the loud clang of Undyne’s armor as she ran after them. “Please Undyne! I don’t want to fight you, I won’t fight you!” Frisk called out as she and Sans fled from the fish woman. Frisk could feel fatigue starting to wear on her.

“Then I’ll make you fight me! I won’t give you a choice!” Undyne’s angry voice called out behind them. The sound of her spear echoed behind the two as they ran. Frisk had an idea of what she was planning as she and Sans ran.

Hearing a loud grunt as the guardsman threw her spear, Frisk glanced sideways at the skeleton who was just ahead of her. She gave him a shove sideways so he would lose his balance just as a green spear pierced the air where he had just been running at, the blade getting dangerously close to Frisk as a shallow cut appeared on her cheek where the blade had managed to graze her. Frisk felt her blood drain from her face as she was nearly paralyzed with fear.

Sans had a panicked look on his face as he stumbled forward, looking over just in time to see Undyne’s spear barely miss Frisk’s head. “Damn it!” he hissed as he watched Frisk go pale as she tried to keep running.

“Quit running you COWARDS!” the rage filled voice of Undyne called out behind them as several magical spears could be heard forming behind them, as they shot past Frisk while she ran the woman took note that these ones were green as well, not the blue as they had originally been.

 _“What’s that mean?”_ Frisk thought as she tried to keep ahead of the monster. A moment later Frisk felt a spear hit her back sending her flying forward as it did. She waited for pain, death… anything. Instead she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her as she sat up, holding her chest as she gasped for air, coughing as she did. She wasn’t dead, or in pain but she was definitely stopped.

Sans came to a halt as he looked over at the woman, flinching as he expected her cry of pain, and a time warp to happen. When he realized she only had the wind knocked out of her, a bit of relief flooded him as he ran to Frisk, panting from their sprint to escape Undyne. “A-Angel?” He asked breathlessly as he knelt down.

“F-fine… c-can’t breath w-w-well…” Frisk managed to respond as she coughed violently. Her gaze shifted to the armor clad figure approaching. “R-run…” she insisted weakly grabbing the sleeve of his jacket as the skeletons eye sockets followed her gaze.

Ignoring the request, Sans stood to his feet standing in front of the woman now. His grin was lifted upwards into a defiant smirk as Undyne approached him. “Finally facing me now Lazybones?! Heh took you long enough!” Undyne grinned menacingly at the skeleton as her magical spear appeared in her hands.

“Heh don’t take a fence to this… but I’m just penning you down for the time being.” Sans replied giving a slight chuckle as he concentrated his magic, before releasing a blue energy from himself creating a tall barrier around him and Undyne. The fish monster clenched her teeth as she ran forward ready to spear the skeleton who watched with a slightly amused grin before jumping away from her attack. She collided with the barrier and winced in pain before looking at Sans and giving a scream of rage.

Frisk, who had finally managed to catch her breath, watched with wide eyes as Sans managed to avoid Undyne’s attacks with an almost practiced ease. Watching Frisk wondered just what he was doing. She realized her might be trying to buy her some time to run, but she couldn’t just leave him! Not with the chance that Undyne might kill him again and she wouldn’t be able to reset to a point prior. The woman stood to her feet now watching the fight… although it didn’t seem to be much of a fight, considering Sans was doing nothing but avoiding the attacks.

Frisk blinked her eyes in realization. While Sans appeared to be getting tired from using so much magic, it was Undyne who was really starting to wear down from using her spears as she began panting slightly for breath. She jumped off of the wall to try to catch Sans off guard but the skeleton still managed to avoid the attack. When Undyne came down on her knee to land she seemed to flinch slightly and winced in pain. This was when Sans dispelled the barrier he had put up around them and quickly appeared at Frisk’s side grabbing her arm as he forced her back into running away from Undyne

“Y-you were wearing her out?” Frisk asked in a soft tone as they ran next to each other. They heard a loud grunt followed by the sound of Undyne beginning to chase them again, despite her own exhaustion.

“You’re pretty damn determined to make the best out of this situation, if for nothing else then for your sake I won’t attack unless I need to.” Sans replied in a slightly breathless tone as he glanced over at the woman, she could see his eye sockets had grown heavy from the fight.

“You’re exhausted…” she commented feeling her heart fill with guilt. The sound of spears could be heard hitting the ground just behind them as Sans glanced back over his shoulder. Although exhausted as well, it seemed that Undyne was determined to get to Frisk as she drew up what was left of her magic trying to stop them.

“I’ll worry about that later… we gotta run now. Hotland is just a little further.” Sans panted just managing to keep ahead of the spears as he ran. Glancing up on the wall next to them as they ran the two saw a bright neon sign that read “WELCOME TO HOTLAND” in bright red neon lights.

Finally out of the cavern that was Waterfall a bright red light blinded Frisk’s eyes as she looked around at the lava filled area. A bridge lay before the two as Sans hoped the heat hadn’t warped any of the boards, as they sprinted across the bridge. He could finally feel the fight really catching up with him, and keeping the pace he had been going was about to become impossible. He was banking on Undyne not following them far into Hotland thanks to her armor.

“NNNNNRRRRGGG! STOP RUNNING AWAY!!!” Undyne yelled in a blind furry as she focused what was left of her magic, power, and determination to create one last green spear which she threw with all her strength at the figures fleeing before her. The spear managed to connect with the exhausted skeleton, striking him between the shoulder blades.

Sans grunted as he felt the spear strike him, causing him to stumble and lose his footing just as they had made it back to solid ground. He tumbled forward and came to a stop just ahead of the human. Frisk stopped in her tracks looking to the skeleton as she watched him gasp weakly for breath the spear had knocked out of him.

Sans tried to push himself off the ground as he coughed violently. He realized he needed time to recover his stamina as his whole body shook with the effort he was using just to try to stand. Realizing he was pretty useless at the moment he looked back with a frustrated and worried gaze as Undyne slowly approached Frisk who was frozen in fear as she looked behind her at the fish monster.

 “Sans!” Frisk yelled fearfully as she saw the skeleton stumble forward and lose his footing as he fell to the ground. The sound of metal armor approaching behind her left the woman rooted to the spot as she turned around to see Undyne slowly making her way towards the human panting heavily as she did.

“God damn fucking armor… it’s… so… hot.” Undyne muttered under her breath as she slowly crossed the rest of the bridge to get to the human. Her eyesight grew blurry just as she was nearing the end of the bridge, she could feel exhaustion finally catching up to her as well as her head swam and the heat began to dehydrate her.

Frisk backed away from the intimidating monster as she advanced on the two slowly. Drawing up her strength Frisk was determined to protect herself and Sans from Undyne. Frisk froze though as she watched Undyne give an exhausted groan and collapse to the ground. Her breathing was raspy, and her scales appeared to grow lighter from dehydration.

Hesitating Frisk looked to Undyne, before turning around to look at Sans. _“First things first…”_ Frisk thought silently to herself as she approached the skeleton and kneeled down in front of him putting her hand gently on his shoulder. “Sans?” she asked in a soft tone as the skeleton finally recovered from his coughing fit.

“I-I’m good Sugar… it barely touched me…” The skeleton replied to her worry giving her a wink as he grinned at her. He sat back now breathing heavily as he looked at the unconscious fish monster in front of them. “W-we should go on…” Sans suggested as he glanced back to Frisk. He noticed her gaze had shifted to one of the hydration rest stops that had been set up all over Hotland thanks to its blazing temperature. “Angel… please… don’t…” He groaned, having a good idea what was going through her mind. He winced slightly as she gave him an apologetic look.

“Sans… I… I can’t just leave her. She… she’ll die from dehydration…” Frisk replied in a soft voice before squaring her shoulders in determination and walking over to the station. Opening up the door to a mini fridge that had been placed inside of the small building, Frisk grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

Hesitating a moment, Frisk turned and walked slowly over to Undyne who was panting heavily. Frisk tried to turn the monster over but gave up when the armor clad fish wouldn’t budge. Giving a slight sigh, Frisk tilted Undyne’s head to the side as she gently began to pour small amounts of water on the side of the monsters face.

Undyne’s eye flickered open slowly as she felt the water trickling over her scaly skin. Looking up at the source of the water, the fish monster’s eye widened as she saw Frisk above her holding the bottle in her hand. She closed her eye as if contemplating the kind act before she opened it again glaring at the human in fury.

Frisk gave a scream as she tried to back away from Undyne whose hand quickly clamped down on her arm. She struggled as the monster slowly made her way to her feet keeping a tight hold on the human’s arm. The woman trembled in the monsters grasp as she tried, in vain, to escape from it.

“F-Frisk!” Sans struggled to his feet as well, flinching as he nearly lost his balance again. Steadying himself, the skeleton started to draw out what little magic and energy he had left. There was no way in hell he was going to let Undyne kill Frisk now. He didn’t want to kill Undyne either as he begrudgingly respected the monster, but he felt the need to protect Frisk first and foremost, by any means necessary.

The fish monster grasped Frisk by the collar of her shirt and lifted her up so they were eye to eye, Frisk’s feet dangling a good two feet off the ground. “Why are you being so god damn nice to me?!” Her tired gaze glared hard at the human whose face had paled. “I’ve done nothing but try to fucking kill you two all this time! Do you think being ‘nice’ and ‘kind’ will save your skin?!”

Frisk swallowed hard. “You… you’re fighting for something important even if you aren’t going about it the right way. I respect what you’re doing for the monsters of the Underground, and I want to help them… help you… but hurting or killing you isn’t going to do that.” Frisk explained in a weak tone as she looked into the hard gaze of the monster in front of her.

Undyne raised her fist into the air, her intention to punch the kindness right out of the human and make her job easier. “Put her down…” A dangerously calm voice spoke as Undyne glanced over at Sans now. Her eye widened in surprise to see the blue magic surrounding the skeleton as his left eye flared brightly with magic. His features were calm as ever but an underlying anger lingered on his words as she saw his hands now clenched in front of him.

“Heh… what are you gonna do Lazybones?!” Undyne challenged the skeleton hesitantly. She could feel power radiating from him but she wasn’t scared. She became concerned however, when she saw the skeleton launch a barrage of fiery looking bones in her direction.

“Sans! NO!” Frisk cried out too late to stop his attack. Undyne was already exhausted, the attack might just be enough to kill her. _“Help me!”_ she cried out silently to the power of her soul again, the all too familiar laugh echoed in her mind.

 _“Aww is Frisky worried about the little fishy? I keep telling you not to get too attached to them…”_ The voice spoke mockingly to her in the back of her mind as Frisk closed her eyes and felt a warm feeling fill her chest where her soul rested, a bright red light took on the form of a heart glowing warmly in her chest. Feeling as though she were starting to lose herself to the warmth, Frisk struggled with herself to keep control _“That’s no fun if you won’t let me be in charge… oh well I’ll play by YOUR rules then… for now.”_ the voice had a tone of a child pouting for a moment before Frisk’s eyes opened revealing a faint red glow to them.

A strong power radiated from the woman as the Sans’s attack suddenly made contact with a red barrier that protected Undyne. Sans blinked his eye sockets in genuine shock as he looked at the woman whose red gaze met his causing him to stop in his attack as he saw a different look from what Frisk normally had in her gentle gaze. The look appeared more commanding and malicious to him as though the woman were someone else completely. _“Is that her soul’s power?”_  he wondered in silent curiosity as he looked at her. In the back of his mind Sans felt as though he had seen those eyes that glared at him before… but he couldn’t remember where, or who… as if it were a dream pretending to be a memory.

His musings came to a sudden end as the world around him went silent and he wobbled slightly. Sans’s vision blurred as darkness began to close in on him. His energy and stamina were all but exhausted as his vision blacked out. The skeleton landed with a loud thud face first onto the ground, his eye sockets closed as he lay still on the ground.


	15. ALTERNATE Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy "I was planning on posting this before work yesterday but I ran out of time" day? So yeah this is the fluffier version of the next 4ish(?) chapters. This one doesn't really have any differences until the very, very end. So if you don't want to read Chapter 14 all over again feel free to skip to the last 2ish(?) paragraphs or so. And if you do reread it... well I appreciate the time you've taken to do so :3 I'm not sure if I'll post these in order with the main story since I have taken bits and pieces from the chapters in order to rewrite the story to something a little less fluffy.

Frisk and Sans quickly noticed the dim blue light of grass showing them the way out of the dead end area. Following the path north as they entered another cavern, Frisk looked around in awe as she saw the room completely filled with Echo Flowers. The whispering around them seemed to be a constant murmur that filled the air.

“Looks like we’re going for a dip again…” Sans commented with a slight sigh as the path through the room was water logged. “Do you want me to carry you through here?” he asked hesitantly looking at Frisk. She was the one he was really worried about since she could easily get sick from the chill in the air and the chill of the water.

“No… it’s not that deep this time. I should be fine.” She shook her head gently stepping into the water which came up to her calves this time. Sans followed suit and the two walked up the long corridor as the whispers of voices past could be heard. Pausing in step the skeleton cast an odd look at one of the flowers but shook his head and continued on when Frisk glanced back at him.

It wasn’t too long before they exited the water covered pathway and made their way into the main cavern once again. Frisk saw a large bridge extending over a deep chasm ahead of them. Giving a gulp she glanced down not seeing the bottom.

“Don’t you know the rule about not looking down? Especially if you’re afraid of heights.” Sans said as he stood next to Frisk. Looking ahead Sans glanced over at the human. “We’ll have to walk single file across this thing. I’ll go first just in case there’s something up ahead…” Sans spoke as he stepped onto the creaky bridge.

Frisk swallowed her fears and stepped after him, hoping that the quicker they got off the bridge the quicker her anxiety at the thought of falling would go away. They had just made it half way across the bridge when Frisk froze in mid step.

“YO!” the monster kids voice called out from behind them. Frisk turned around surprised to see him, surprised he had managed to get away from Undyne so quickly. Her fear prickled at the possibility that the monster might be close by.

She watched as the kid approached them slowly, a strange look on his face as he looked at Frisk. It looked like a combination of resent, confusion, anger and sadness. He stopped right in front of the woman looking up at her, ignoring the threat of the skeleton behind her.

“Yo, I know I shouldn’t be here but… I… I gotta know something.” He paused as if it was hard for him to ask the question. “A-are you really a human?” he asked in a slightly louder tone. Taking a deep breath Frisk looked at him.

“Yes. I am a human.” She answered him in a soft tone. She listened as he gave a slight laugh, a sad laugh, before he looked her in the eyes again.

“I-I knew it… or I know it now… Undyne… she told me, ‘stay away from that human.’” The kid paused as he shuffled his feet slightly. “I-I guess that makes us enemies… doesn’t it?” he muttered looking at his feet. Frisk felt her heart thud painfully in her chest as he looked up at her with a teary gaze. “B-but I-I’m terrible at that…” Frisk knelt down to try to comfort the kid but he stepped back away from her, as he tried to hide his sadness behind anger. “S-say something mean so I can hate you!” He said loudly to the human as he tried to blink back his tears.

Frisk shook her head and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry but I can’t. I’m not mean, or heartless, or scary. I’m just…a nice person.” She replied the smile still on her face as she looked at the monster kid, he looked at her still on the verge of tears.

“F-fine then I’ll do it! I… I hate you.” The kid couldn’t say it with enough confidence to even make himself believe it. “M-man… I’m such a turd. I-I’m gonna go home now… so… you won’t see me again…” he backed away from Frisk a few more feet

The monster kid turned quickly to try to run, a loose board creaked and broke beneath his feet causing the kid to lose his balance and fall sideways off the bridge. Closing his eyes as a scream escaped him he tried to grab whatever he could to save himself. Frisk threw herself forward as her hands grasped his long tail in an attempt to save him. The bridge suddenly shook as Frisk nearly lost her own balance as her top half dangled dangerously over the side of the bridge, hanging onto the kid as she tried to pull him back to safety.

“Undyne, stop!” Sans’s voice came from behind Frisk as she looked up to see that the armor clad monster had been what had caused the bridge to shake. Ignoring the spike of fear in her heart, she held onto the kid who was struggling slightly in her grip. His body twisted as he hung upside down looking below him before he looked up at the human that had his tail in her hands with a teary gaze.

“Q-quit struggling, I’m losing my grip.” She said through gritted teeth as she pulled him upwards back onto the safety of the bridge. Letting him go, Frisk looked over the kid making sure he wasn’t hurt. She saw him stare at her with a dazed look on his face. “Y-you’re safe…” she breathed a soft sigh of relief.

Frisk looked up in front of her seeing and feeling Undyne take a step forward. Giving a squeak of fear the woman backed up using her arms to pull her back as a piercing eye stared at her coldly from beneath the helmet. She watched as the Monster Kid quickly stood to his feet and turned around facing Undyne as his body trembled slightly in fear.

“Y-Yo… If you wanna hurt m-my friend you’ll have to get through me!” The kid’s voice echoed in the cavern, Undyne backed away from the kid towards the far end of the bridge. Frisk saw the opening and quickly turned standing to her feet as she stumbled losing her footing a moment before running to catch up to Sans who was waiting at the end of the bridge.

“We’ve gotta go, now, before she decides to keep chasing us.” Sans spoke in a serious tone once Frisk caught up with him. The two turned and ran for the next part of the cavern in front of them. Exiting through the opening, Frisk looked at the ceiling above them, a dull red light lit up the cavern instead of the normal blue she had gotten accustomed to.

“We might be able to make it to Hot Land before she can catch up. She hates the place so we’ll be safe for a while.” Sans panted as they kept running. Just as he said that a spear pierced the air in front of them bringing them to a stop “Ah, shit!” he cursed putting his arm out to stop Frisk from going any further.

“You two are COWARDS! Using the kid as a shield.” Undyne shrieked from a ledge above them as she jumped down now. Her helmet had been abandoned in the fall, and Frisk realized for the first time just what her face looked like.

Blinking her eyes, Frisk stared at Undyne, who looked like a fish monster. She had dark blue fish scales which covered a majority of her skin which was also blue, the only thing differentiating it from the scales was the smooth appearance in comparison, mostly on her face. Her bright red hair was pulled back into a pony tail; a black eye patch covered her left eye, the other yellow one glared hard at her and Sans. There were two fins coming out of the side of her head like ears, and two long yellow fangs protruded from her mouth.

“Seven…” Undyne growled as her gaze shot to Frisk. “Your bull shit goody-two-shoes act won’t change my mind… I WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL TO ASGORE!” Her spear appeared in her hands in a flash of blue energy as she spoke. “Even if I have to go through your body guard to get it!” Undyne yelled as she charged at Sans with her spear. The skeleton moved quickly to the side of her attack pulling Frisk with him as he did.

“Undyne, please I don’t want to fight! Frisk called out as she tried to step out from behind Sans now, however the skeleton wasn’t going to let her open herself up to an attack as he put his arm out to stop her. “I want to be a friend, not an enemy to monsters! You all keep attacking me but… but none of you truly deserve to be attacked back.”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything about us, and life in the Underground!” Undyne rose her hand up into the air causing several spears to appear around the two. Frisk and Sans both looked around them, Sans knowing he’d have to conserve his energy if they were going to make it to Hotland alive without attacking Undyne.

“Get ready to avoid the spears, Sugar…” Sans muttered softly to the human who nodded her head. The spears shot at the two trying to spear them through. Frisk just managed to avoid the attack as she stepped back just in time to avoid a spear aimed at her, then she ducked low when one shot where she had just stood. A third one shot at Frisk as she tried to catch her balance and just managed to roll off to the side towards Sans. Sans moved quickly to the left to avoid one spear before jumping backwards to avoid another one, giving a slight growl Sans drew his magic into his palm and fired three bones in Undyne’s direction forcing her to jump off to the left opening up an escape route for them.

Frisk was the first to notice this as she darted towards Sans, grabbing his arm to stop him from attacking again. “Run!” she said looking back at the skeleton who was thrown off by her move as she let him go so that he could follow her into the cavern entrance in front of them.

Panting as they ran they heard the loud clang of Undyne’s armor as she ran after them. “Please Undyne! I don’t want to fight you, I won’t fight you!” Frisk called out as she and Sans fled from the fish woman. Frisk could feel fatigue starting to wear on her.

“Then I’ll make you fight me! I won’t give you a choice!” Undyne’s angry voice called out behind them. The sound of her spear echoed behind the two as they ran. Frisk had an idea of what she was planning as she and Sans ran.

Hearing a loud grunt as the guardsman threw her spear, Frisk glanced sideways at the skeleton who was just ahead of her. She gave him a shove sideways so he would lose his balance just as the spear pierced the air where he had just been running at, the blade getting dangerously close to Frisk as a shallow cut appeared on her cheek where the blade had managed to graze her. Frisk felt her blood drain from her face as she was nearly paralyzed with fear.

Sans had a panicked look on his face as he stumbled forward, looking over just in time to see Undyne’s spear barely miss Frisk’s head. “Damn it!” he hissed as he watched Frisk go pale as she tried to keep running.

“Quit running you COWARDS!” the rage filled voice of Undyne called out behind them as several magical spears could be heard forming behind them, as they shot past Frisk while she ran the woman took note that these ones were green, not the blue as they had originally been.

_“What’s that mean?”_ Frisk thought as she tried to keep ahead of the monster. A moment later Frisk felt a spear hit her back sending her flying forward as it did. She waited for pain, death… anything. Instead she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her as she sat up, holding her chest as she gasped for air, coughing as she did. She wasn’t dead, or in pain but she was definitely stopped.

Sans came to a halt as he looked over at the woman, flinching as he expected her cry of pain, and a time warp to happen. When he realized she only had the wind knocked out of her, a bit of relief flooded him as he ran to Frisk, panting from their sprint to escape Undyne. “A-Angel?” He asked breathlessly as he knelt down.

“F-fine… c-can’t breath w-w-well…” Frisk managed to respond as she coughed violently. Her gaze shifted to the armor clad figure approaching. “R-run…” she insisted weakly looking to the skeleton whose eye sockets followed her gaze.

Ignoring the request, Sans stood to his feet standing in front of the woman now. His grin was lifted upwards into a defiant smirk as Undyne approached him. “Finally facing me now Lazybones?! Heh took you long enough!” Undyne grinned menacingly at the skeleton as her magical spear appeared in her hands.

“Heh don’t take a fence to this… but I’m just penning you down for the time being.” Sans replied giving a slight chuckle as he concentrated his magic, before releasing a blue energy from himself creating a barrier around him and Undyne. The fish monster clenched her teeth as she ran forward ready to spear the skeleton who watched with a slightly amused grin before jumping away from her attack. She collided with the barrier and winced in pain before looking at Sans and giving a scream of rage.

Frisk, who had finally managed to catch her breath, watched with wide eyes as Sans managed to avoid Undyne’s attacks with an almost practiced ease. Watching Frisk wondered just what he was doing. If he was trying to buy her time she wasn’t going to leave without him. The woman stood to her feet now watching the fight… although it didn’t seem to be much of a fight, considering Sans was doing nothing but avoiding the attacks.

Frisk blinked her eyes in realization. While Sans appeared to be getting tired from using so much magic, it was Undyne who was really starting to wear down as she began panting slightly for breath. She jumped to try to catch Sans off guard but the skeleton still managed to avoid the attack. When Undyne came down on her knee to land she seemed to flinch slightly and winced in pain. This was when Sans dispelled the barrier he had put up around them and quickly appeared at Frisk’s side picking the woman up in his arms as they fled from Undyne once more.

“Y-you were wearing her out?” Frisk asked in a soft tone as he ran with her in his arms. They heard a loud grunt followed by the sound of Undyne beginning to chase them again despite her own exhaustion.

“You’re pretty damn determined to make the best out of this situation, if for nothing else then for your sake I won’t attack unless I need to.” Sans replied in a slightly breathless tone as he glanced down at the woman, she could see his eye sockets had grown heavy from the fight.

“You’re exhausted…” she commented feeling her heart fill with guilt as he carried her in his arms. The sound of spears could be heard hitting the ground just behind them as Sans glanced back over his shoulder. Although exhausted as well, it seemed that Undyne was determined to get to Frisk as she drew up what was left of her magic trying to stop them.

“I’ll worry about that later… we gotta run now. Hotland is just a little further.” Sans panted just managing to keep ahead of the spears as he ran. Glancing up on the wall next to them as they ran the two saw a bright neon sign that read “WELCOME TO HOTLAND” in bright red neon lights.

Finally out of the cavern that was Waterfall a bright red light blinded Frisk’s eyes as she looked around at the lava filled area. A bridge lay before the two as Sans hoped the heat hadn’t warped any of the boards, as he sprinted across the bridge. He could finally feel the fight really catching up with him, and keeping the pace he had been going was about to become impossible. He was banking on Undyne not following them far into Hotland thanks to her armor.

“NNNNNRRRRGGG! STOP RUNNING AWAY!!!” Undyne yelled in a blind furry as she focused what was left of her magic, power, and determination to create one last green spear which she threw with all her strength at the figure fleeing before her. The spear managed to connect with the exhausted skeleton, striking him between the shoulder blades.

Sans gave a gasp as he felt the spear strike him, causing him to stumble and lose his grip on the human, he tumbled to the ground gasping weakly for the breath the spear had knocked out of him. Trying to push himself off the ground as he coughed violently, Sans found he needed time to recover his stamina as his whole body shook, he was pretty useless right now as he watched with a frustrated and worried gaze as Undyne slowly approached Frisk who had just scrambled to her feet.

“Sans!” Frisk yelled fearfully as she felt the skeleton stumble forward and lose his hold as he fell to the ground. In the tumble from his arms Frisk rolled a few more feet, as the rocks scraped against her skin. Looking at the skeleton who was gasping weakly for air, Frisk quickly stood to her feet to aid her friend. The sound of metal armor approaching though left the woman rooted to the spot as she turned around to see Undyne slowly making her way towards the human panting heavily as she did.

“God damn fucking armor… it’s… so… hot.” Undyne muttered under her breath as she slowly crossed the rest of the bridge to get to the human. Her eyesight grew blurry just as she was nearing the end of the bridge, she could feel exhaustion finally catching up to her as well as her head swam and the heat began to dehydrate her.

Frisk backed away from the intimidating monster as she advanced on the two slowly. Drawing up her strength Frisk was determined to protect herself and Sans from Undyne. Frisk froze though as she watched Undyne give an exhausted groan and collapse to the ground. Her breathing was raspy, and her scales appeared to grow lighter from dehydration.

Hesitating Frisk looked to Undyne, before turning around to look at Sans. _“First things first…”_ Frisk thought silently to herself as she approached the skeleton and kneeled down in front of him putting her hand gently on his shoulder. “Sans?” she asked in a soft tone as the skeleton finally recovered from his coughing fit.

“I-I’m good Sugar… it barely touched me…” The skeleton replied to her worry giving her a wink as he grinned at her. He sat back now breathing heavily as he looked at the unconscious fish monster in front of them. “W-we should go on…” Sans suggested as he glanced back to Frisk. He noticed her gaze had shifted to one of the hydration rest stops that had been set up all over Hotland thanks to its blazing temperature. “Angel… please… don’t…” He groaned, having a good idea what was going through her mind. He winced slightly as she gave him an apologetic look.

“Sans… I… I can’t just leave her. She… she’ll die from dehydration…” Frisk replied in a soft voice before squaring her shoulders in determination and walking over to the station. Opening up the door to a mini fridge that had been placed inside of the small building, Frisk grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

Hesitating a moment, Frisk turned and walked slowly over to Undyne who was panting heavily. Frisk tried to turn the monster over but gave up when the armor clad fish wouldn’t budge. Giving a slight sigh, Frisk tilted Undyne’s head to the side as she gently began to pour small amounts of water on the side of the monsters face.

Undyne’s eye flickered open slowly as she felt the water trickling over her scaly skin. Looking up at the source of the water, the fish monster’s eye widened as she saw Frisk above her holding the bottle in her hand. She closed her eye as if contemplating the kind act before she opened it again glaring at the human in fury.

Frisk gave a scream as she tried to back away from Undyne whose hand quickly clamped down on her arm. She struggled as the monster slowly made her way to her feet keeping a tight hold on the human’s arm.

“F-Frisk!” Sans struggled to his feet as well, flinching as he nearly lost his balance again. Steadying himself, the skeleton started to draw out what little magic and energy he had left. There was no way in hell he was going to let Undyne kill Frisk now. He didn’t want to kill Undyne either as he begrudgingly respected the monster, but he felt the need to protect Frisk first and foremost, by any means necessary.

The fish monster grasped Frisk by the collar of her shirt and lifted her up so they were eye to eye, Frisk’s feet dangling a good two feet off the ground. “Why are you being so god damn nice to me?!” Her tired gaze glared hard at the human whose face had paled. “I’ve done nothing but try to fucking kill you two all this time! Do you think being ‘nice’ and ‘kind’ will save your skin?!”

Frisk swallowed hard. “You… you’re fighting for something important even if you aren’t going about it the right way. I respect what you’re doing for the monsters of the Underground, and I want to help… hurting or killing you isn’t going to help them…” Frisk explained in a weak tone as she looked into the hard gaze of the monster in front of her.

Undyne raised her fist into the air, her intention to punch the kindness right out of the human and make her job easier. “Put her down…” A dangerously calm voice spoke as Undyne glanced over at Sans now. Her eye widened in surprise to see the blue magic surrounding the skeleton as his left eye flared brightly with magic. His features were calm as ever but an underlying anger lingered on his words as she saw his hands now clenched in front of him.

“Heh… what are you gonna do Lazybones?!” Undyne challenged the skeleton hesitantly. She could feel power radiating from him but she wasn’t scared. She became concerned however, when she saw the skeleton launch a barrage of fiery looking bones in her direction.

“Sans! NO!” Frisk cried out too late to stop his attack. Undyne was already exhausted, the attack might just be enough to kill her. _“Help me!”_ she cried out silently to the power of her soul again, the all too familiar laugh echoed in her mind.

_“Aww is Frisky worried about the little fishy? I keep telling you not to get too attached to them…”_ The voice spoke mockingly to her in the back of her mind as Frisk closed her eyes and felt a warm feeling fill her chest where her soul rested, a bright red light took on the form of a heart glowing warmly in her chest. Feeling as though she were starting to lose herself to the warmth, Frisk struggled with herself to keep control _“That’s no fun if you won’t let me be in charge… oh well I’ll play by YOUR rules then… for now.”_ the voice had a tone of a child pouting for a moment before Frisk’s eyes opened revealing a faint red glow to them.

A strong power radiated from the woman as the Sans’s attack suddenly made contact with a red barrier that protected Undyne. Sans blinked his eye sockets in genuine shock as he looked at the woman whose red gaze met his causing him to stop in his attack as he saw a different look from what Frisk normally had in her gentle gaze. The look appeared more commanding and malicious to him as though the woman were someone else completely. _“Is that her soul’s power?”_ he wondered in silent curiosity as he looked at her. In the back of his mind Sans felt as though he had seen those eyes that glared at him before… but he couldn’t remember where, or who… as if it were a dream pretending to be a memory.

Red eyes shifted back to Undyne, who was a bit thrown off as she stared at the human. “Again?! You’re just insistent about making sure I don’t die when I’ve done nothing but try to kill you since meeting you! Are you fucking stupid or what?!” The monster asked as anger clung to her words, although her grip on the human loosened.

“Maybe. I’ve been asked that question before so it’s not unusual. I just want to make the monsters of the Underground understand that not all humans are bad. I will not attack you or fight back if you want to kill me… you don’t deserve death…” Frisk replied in a now calm tone as she felt her souls strength surrounding her. Frisk felt it, she knew that it would be easy to end this now… but she couldn’t do it, she wouldn’t do it. Killing was the easy way out, and there were other solutions. “Please Undyne… show me some mercy…” the human’s tone grew soft as the red faded slightly from her eyes and she waited for the monster to make her decision.


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 15 all! Sorry this is a day late, again irl is interfering with my uploading. This is my last buffer chapter as well, so from here on out the updates might be delayed. I definitely haven’t lost interest, I’m just not writing at the same pace I was when I first got the idea for this story. Waterfall is now in the past and we’ve moved on into Hotland! Yay for changing scenery! However now there are some conflicts to deal with. Between the conflicts with emotions and monsters how will Frisk and Sans hold up? Also I don’t know if anyone is particularly confused with my concept of soul power or not, but my idea is that while the Resets are unlimited like in the game, using her souls determination actually weakens the soul. If it becomes too weak Frisk won’t be able to use her soul to break the barrier even in combination with the other souls that Asgore has it won’t be enough power by itself. Thanks as always for reading, commenting and leaving me kudos, I really appreciate the support! :3

Frisk’s eyes widened in fear as the red faded slightly from her gaze looking at the skeleton now. She had seen his magic flicker out before his pupils vanished from his eye sockets and he fell to the ground. He couldn’t be dead, _“Please don’t be dead!”_ Frisk gave a silent plea, fearing that at any second he would turn to dust before her eyes.

“S-Sans!” she struggled against Undyne’s grip on her collar, her mind blurred slightly as she panicked thinking the worst. “P-please! Let me make sure he’s okay!” Frisk spoke in a weak tone looking back to Undyne who was glaring hard at her.

“First tell me something…” Her voice grew dangerously soft as she kept a strong hold on the human. “Why are you going through the Underground and sparing the monsters?” Frisk blinked her eyes as she sensed the internal struggle Undyne was going through. “You don’t fight back at all! You’ve… helped others! I’ve tried to kill you for the past two days! I’ve hunted both of you down and tried to end your life for the good of the other monsters but… you won’t even fucking fight back or attack me! WHY!?” Undyne’s anger reached a peak as her eye narrowed in confusion at the human. She wanted to hate her, she wanted to be able to kill her, but… something deep inside her was stalling her even though it would be easy now.

“Because fighting… and death… those are the easy ways out. Sure it might exhaust your body to fight, and death might seem like a fitting punishment and end, and neither of them are exactly easy to do but… what happens to your soul when you start fighting and killing just to get to an easy end?” Frisk replied recalling the power she felt coursing through her body when she used her soul’s energy to protect Undyne from Sans’s attack. Deep down she knew that she had the power to kill using her soul power, although she wouldn’t sink that low. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not close to perfect. I’ve lost my temper plenty in the past and I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I’m not exactly innocent but… I have been given a chance here to do the right thing. A chance to prove that humanity hasn’t lost its love and compassion even though we did screw up. If I break down and kill just to get past Asgore and to the barrier it’s not going to prove anything, I’ll just be following in the footsteps of the past.” Frisk’s tone was soft as she looked at the monster with a serious look.

Frisk wasn’t really a deep person despite her words. However she believed what she had said with all her heart and soul especially after meeting Toriel, and Papyrus, even Undyne… and of course Sans. She even believed that little demon flower, Flowey had some good… deep, deep down inside. Despite everything her world had taught her about monsters, Frisk couldn’t bring herself to hurt or hate them when she could tell that they really were good. “I… suppose that probably still doesn’t make much sense to you. However like I just said, you have a good reason for wanting my soul even though I don’t want to die for your cause. Your fighting spirit is something I’ve noticed a lot of monsters look up to you for. Killing you wouldn’t just hurt one monster it would hurt so many more...” Frisk spoke as her gaze pleaded with Undyne.

Undyne’s gaze softened a little as she remembered something from her past. The look of recollection that entered her gaze lasted a moment before she returned to the present. Smirking slightly as she gave a slight laugh under her breath, the fish shook her head slightly. “Please… Undyne… show me some mercy.” Frisk begged in a slightly cracking voice struggling again against the fish woman’s grip as she glanced over at Sans, worry filling her gaze for her friend.

“Heh… I’m still just a wimp after all. I’m sorry Asgore…” the muttered words fell from Undyne’s lips as she lowered her gaze to the ground while still holding the human in her grip. “Well… maybe, with your determination and a lot of fucking luck… you can talk Asgore out of trying to kill you. That and I guess you have someone pretty capable of defending you if nothing else.” Undyne threw the human to the ground roughly as she clenched and unclenched her fists in agitation.

Frisk gave a whimper of pain at the impact before she was on her feet. Standing at Sans’s side now as she stared down at him, the woman lowered herself beside her friend and gently placed a hand on his spine. “S-Sans?” Frisk whispered in a shaking tone as she gently shook him. A faint groan escaped him although he still didn’t stir from his unconscious state. “H-he’s alive…” Frisk whispered as her shoulders sagged with relief.

“Hey punk!” Frisk jumped as Undyne’s voice rang out harshly in the silence. “Just… do me a favor. If your kindness somehow manages to get you to Asgore… don’t change your mind and kill him… or I’ll hunt your ass down and make sure you regret it.” Undyne huffed slightly before turning her back on them as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Consider this situation my only act of mercy towards you human… I still don’t like you.” Undyne’s voice was cold as she avoided looking at Frisk. She didn’t want the human to see her moment of weakness as a sign of friendship.

“T-thank you Undyne. I’ll repay you for the mercy some day.” Frisk said staring at the monsters back with a gentle gaze as she smiled slightly. A thought dawned on her as she felt panic grip her chest. “I-it might be best if you leave now. I d-don’t have time to explain what’s about to happen…” Frisk warned Undyne as her whole body tensed.

The monster glanced back over her shoulder with a slight scowl of confusion on her face at Frisk’s words. “What the hell do you mean?”

_*UNDYNE WAS SPARED*_

Frisk felt a sharp pain shoot up her spine as she arched her back, giving a scream as the pain tore through her. Wrapping her arms around her sides she began to sob softly as her body ached from the spreading poison. Her head throbbed as she leaned over onto her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to bite back another scream as her body felt like it was on fire.

White spots began to appear in her vision as her sobs continued, punctured every once in a while with a gasp of air from the woman as she became immobilized from the pain. Her head spun as she tried to breath but couldn’t. Finally her sobs quieted to soft whimpers as she fell forward, unconscious, onto the ground next to Sans.

Undyne stood frozen in place after what had happened. A look of confusion crossed her scaly face as she processed the random pain Frisk had just experienced with no explanation what so ever. Shakily, Undyne flipped open a panel on the arm of her armor which contained a built in cell phone. Pushing a button that caused a ringing to start as she approached the human, Undyne waited impatiently for an answer.

“H-hey Undyne…” A meek sounding female voice came from her wrist.

“Please tell me you just saw what I saw.” Undyne replied in a sharp tone to the voice as she knelt down next to Frisk. The monster blinked her eye as she saw a faint purple glow coming from the human.

“Yeah… I… I was watching the fight. That… what happened at the end was weird… really weird…” the voice replied in a tone laced with confusion. Undyne gently turned the human over and her eye grew wide as shock set in again.

The faint pinkish purple light lit up the vines that crawled across Frisk’s skin before they spread even further. The right side of her face was completely covered in lines to the point where her exposed skin was nothing more than small cracks in between the little vines. The vines on her neck and face had spread all the way around to the left side of her face, starting to take that over as well. Frisk’s arms and legs were completely taken over by the vines now much the same way the right side of her face was. Anything under her clothing Undyne couldn’t be sure, but she figured they were spreading to the rest of her body as well. The light faded leaving only the deep purple lines across her skin.

“U-Undyne? Is everything okay? You… you look shocked…” the meek voice spoke again worriedly as Undyne hesitated on responding.

“A-Alphys I think I’m gonna need your help. There is something very fucked up going on here… even for the Underground. I’ll be to your lab with the two of them soon; they’re going to need a safe place to stay for a bit. If your dumb ass robot is lurking around here and attacks me, I’m gonna smash him in the face.” Undyne finally found her voice again as she gruffly spoke before closing the phone without waiting for an answer. Grabbing one in each arm, Undyne carried the two unconscious bodies under her arms making her way further into Hotland, to the royal scientist’s lab.

_Sans gave a faint groan as his eye sockets flickered open. Running a hand over his face the skeleton finally looked around him. Darkness surrounded him as unease formed in his mind, this place had a foreboding air to it._

_Standing up Sans looked around him at the never ending darkness. He tried to focus his magic to create a flame in his hand to see better but was shocked to find he couldn’t draw up his magical energy at all. “What the hell? Where am I?” he finally muttered in a confused tone._

_“A place I never wanted to bring you to, if I could help it anyways.” A familiar voice spoke from behind the skeleton. Sans’s shoulders tensed as he glanced wearily behind him. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?” A tall form seemed to melt out of the darkness that surrounded the skeleton._

_The figure stood a good two feet over Sans. His white skeletal face and head were a stark contrast to the darkness that surrounded to two. A deep crack ran from the top of his left eye socket up his skull. The break causing his eye socket  to always remain half closed, a matching one, though not quite as deep, ran from the bottom of his right eye socket down to the corner of his skeletal mouth which, while it was frozen in an eternal grin, was still managing to give the appearance of a serious frown. His eye sockets housed two ghostly white pinprick pupils that were dialed in on Sans as he stood in front of him now. Although it was difficult to make out in the black that surrounded the two, the taller skeleton was clothed in a black lab coat and black pants. He appeared to have a white scarf wrapped around his neck, it’s tails tucked into the lab coat._

_“Heh… it sure has been a while old man…” Sans muttered in a strained tone, his grin appearing strained as well as he looked at the figure in front of him now. “You look as sternum as ever, Gaster.” Sans gave a slightly hollow chuckle. While it couldn’t be seen, Sans’s fingers fidgeted slightly with the fabric of his coat pockets as his pupils looked up at the skeleton in front of him with a hint of nervousness._

_“… Still as punny as ever I see… they get especially bad in stressful situations.” Gaster sighed and shook his head slightly as he fixated Sans with a stare. “There is a situation and we don’t have long to discuss it. I suppose I’m just lucky you managed to exhaust yourself to the point of passing out since unconsciousness is the only way I can pull your spirit here.” The taller skeleton said in a slightly frustrated tone as he tucked his hands behind his back standing tall as he looked down at the shorter skeleton, his gaze stern and disapproving._

_A brief flash of memories flooded Sans’s mind as he saw the familiar stance. Shaking his head trying to rid his mind of the images, Sans stood to his full height as well, facing down the skeleton in front of him with a calm expression. “Whaddya mean a situation?” Sans asked in a relaxed tone. Gaster arched his eye socket slightly at him before extending his hand between them and making a motion with it. Particles began to draw themselves to the area forming in the image of Frisk before the two of them. “Angel…” Sans muttered softly under his breath before he could stop himself._

_“Her fate is the issue at hand. A red soul, a soul powerful enough to use the other souls to break the barrier, is not common at all. It took me a very long time to reach out to a human who contained such a soul, to find one who I was sure would so willingly help the cause. The situation of her fate now falls into question because of someone who is filled with determination to stop her from bringing a happy ending.” Gaster placed his hand in a frustrated motion over his left eye socket as his tone grew strained._

_“You mean the poison? I’m hoping Alphys can help with that. She’s pretty capable in case you don’t remember.” Sans replied arching an eye socket at the taller skeleton now; Gaster gave a nod of his head. He remembered the young lizard woman well as she had always been in and out of the lab during his hours of research and tests._

_“I’m not sure she can help at this point. If she can’t… then Frisk is trying to outrun death, and eventually it will catch up to her.” the reality of his words struck a chord with the smaller skeleton as he visibly winced feeling an ache in his chest. “Along with that she keeps unintentionally using her soul power, depleting her power, and depleting the hope I have that her soul will be strong enough to break the barrier. You are aware how long it takes Soul power to recover and Frisk may not have that kind of time in the end.” Gaster’s serious tone reverberated in the darkness. Sans clenched his fists tightly in the pockets of his coat._

_“So what do you want me to do about it? I can’t control her soul, that’s beyond even me. Sure I can physically manipulate her soul but, her powers are her own.” A flicker of irritation crossed Sans’s face as he looked at Gaster who gazed calmly at him._

_“Allow her to continue on her own.” Gaster replied bluntly to the question. Sans’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the skeleton. “You have to so-… Sans. At this point Asgore will not listen to reason, he is positive that the only solution is for either the human to die, or himself to die. Frisk will need all of her soul power to fight Asgore without harming him and still be able to break the barrier. If you continue on with her, I fear that she will use her power to protect you. Your one death has left a mental scar with her that she can’t shake. Depleting her power is far too dangerous to her success… I’m begging you to stay away from her. Take your leave and let Alphys guide her through Hotland.”_

_Sans had grown quiet as he stared at the black beneath him, his skeletal fingers flexing with agitation in his coat pockets. “A-alright… old man, if that’s what needs to be done.” His soul wasn’t in his words but he couldn’t argue with Gaster’s request especially if Frisk was already hurting from Undyne killing him._

_The skeleton looked upwards when no response was given; he suddenly realized he was alone in the darkness again. “H-hey! Where’d you go?!” Sans spun around searching in the darkness for the taller skeleton, an uneasy feeling gripped his soul. “G-Gaster?” Panic gripped Sans as he suddenly felt as though he were falling through the floor. “D-dad!” His eyes snapped shut at the freefalling feeling._

“Dad!” Sans yelled suddenly as he found himself sitting upright in what appeared to be a hospital bed, his eye sockets pitch black for a moment before the white pinpricks of his pupils came into view. Sans drew his legs up as his arms rested on his patellas while he stared blankly at a white sheet covering him. “God damn it…” he muttered in a low tone before coming to his senses and looking around the room.

He saw he was in a lab room of sorts, one filled with a lot of hospital beds. Sans’s eyes started searching around him before coming to rest on the bed next to him where Frisk lay in an unconscious state. He couldn’t remember what happened after she had stopped him from attacking Undyne, there was just darkness at that point so… had they won?

Standing to his feet Sans walked over to the woman’s bed and saw that first off she was breathing and second the poison had indeed spread since the last time he had seen her, that was probably a good indication that Frisk had managed to get Undyne to show her mercy, and they were both spared. A twinge of guilt rippled through Sans that he hadn’t been there to comfort Frisk when the poison spread, hurting her again.

“S-Sans?” A meek voice called out as the skeleton looked over his shoulder to see another monster standing in the doorway of the room.

“Hey Alphys. Long time no see… I’m not surprised though, Snowdin is too cool for you.” Sans replied in a calm tone as he tucked his hands into his pockets looking at the monster who approached him now.

In front of him stood a lizard monster who was just a little taller than Frisk was. She had bright yellow skin that was covered with shimmery scales that made her appear almost golden in the right light. Her “hair” was more an extension of her body as spikes stuck out running down the back of her head. Two fangs stuck out of the front of her pointed mouth, giving the appearance of buck teeth and a pair of oval shaped glasses sat on the bridge of her nose just in front of her dark brown, almost black eyes. A long tail flickered behind her as she approached the skeleton nervously.

The monster wore a slightly dirty white lab coat that came down to her knees, under that she wore a red and white polka-dot t-shirt and a pair of black pants. She didn’t wear shoes at all as her feet were too large to fit into any normal sized shoe, so her yellow feet and toes stuck out of the bottom of her black pants.

“Yeah… me and the cold don’t exactly get along to be honest. How are you feeling?” Alphys replied trying to smile as her voice shook with a slightly nervous air to it. She had always been that way Sans recalled. Even way back when they had been doing lab work together, she always seemed nervous and jumpy.

“Not too bad. I definitely needed to recover my energy though… where’s Undyne?” Sans replied before getting right to his point. Alphys drummed her fingers together nervously as she looked at the skeleton.

“S-she’s at home. You know h-how she is about Hotland.” Alphys muttered tucking her hands gently into the pockets of her lab coat trying to look less nervous with her guest, although the faint sheen of sweat present on her forehead did little to hide it.

“She brought us here? What the hell changed her mind? Last thing I remember she wanted to murder Frisk and take her soul to Asgore…” Sans muttered curiously as a skeletal hand was placed on his mandible in thought. He looked back over at Frisk, watching as her chest rose and fell weakly.

“She’s alive… I’m… not sure what the human said to her, but whatever it was it at least stopped Undyne from killing her. Wh-whatever happened to her next… it shocked Undyne enough into bringing the two of you here rather than leaving and letting you two fend for yourselves. S-S-Sans you know what’s going on don’t you?” Alphys explained as she watched his gaze drift to the human and soften. She resisted the urge to give a girly squeal at the look in his eye sockets before he looked back to Alphys with a gaze filled with conflict.

“Yeah. Although I’m not exactly sure what it is either. She’s been infected with… some kind of poison. It gets worse with the more monsters she doesn’t kill, it’s going to kill her if… when she makes it to Asgore. Look… I… she needs your help. Can you take a blood sample and see if there’s a way to make an anti-venom?” Sans asked in his normal calm tone, although there was a slight edge to it as he spoke. Sans glanced over at Frisk for a moment before turning back to the scientist. “Please?” the last word came out a barely more than a whisper from Sans as he adverted his gaze from Alphys now. He knew his tone was laced with worry again even as he tried to push it down.

“I-I can see what I can do for Frisk… but… I don’t know how long it will take to analyze the sample. I don’t think I’ll have an a-a-answer for you right away.” Alphys admitted as she ran her hand nervously over her arm. She desperately wanted to help the human if she could, obviously Sans did too, but this was the first time in a long time that Alphys had heard something other than a cool, collected, calm tone from him.

“It doesn’t matter, just do what you can for her. I…” he paused trying to keep his nonchalant appearance despite the worry that was starting to consume him, “She doesn’t deserve to be in the kind of pain that she’s in from this.” He said forcing the words out calmly as he grinned slightly at Alphys trying to seem like everything was alright.

“I’ll get what I need to do a blood draw then. Just… stay here and relax. I want to make sure you’re alright to be up and going. You know it’s dangerous to your soul to use such extreme levels of magical energy…” Alphys scolded the skeleton gently before exiting the room to retrieve her tools. Sans watched her go and gave a slight chuckle, brushing off her concern as best he could.

Sans’s gaze drifted over to Frisk as he approached the woman’s bed slowly now. Her face was a faint red color and he could see sweat beading her forehead. A confused look crossed his features as he placed the back of his metacarpals against her forehead. The heat of her skin was so warm it actually made him pull his hand away in shock at the fever she seemed to have. “That’s not good. It’s got to be from the poison. Gaster… why would you ask me to leave her on her own when she’s like this?” Sans muttered in a low tone as he gently brushed his finger tips through her bangs. A faint murmur passed the woman’s lips although he couldn’t make out what she had said.

It took Sans a moment to recall that Gaster hadn’t said she was going to be on her own, he said that Alphys would need to help her through Hotland. “Gaster… I’m putting a lot of faith in you right now. I hope Alphys can protect her.” Sans muttered as he gazed gently at the sleeping woman on in the bed, guilt starting to build in his mind at his soon to be broken promise. This is why he hated making promises and hated breaking them even more, the guilt always ate away at him.


	17. Chapter 16

_Frisk blinked her eyes weakly as she started to come to, still able to feel a twinge of pain from the poison. Worry suddenly consumed the woman as she had never felt the pain of the conscious world in this plane before. “Well, well, well. You certainly held up better than I thought you were going to. Although passing out probably would have been easier for you. Especially with how painful it is when the poison spreads.” Her soul’s voice echoed in her ears behind her now._

_Frisk turned around and came face to face with an actual human figure this time, they had a red aura surrounding them. “Ah you… you actually have a form this time?” Frisk asked curiously looking at the figure as she took a hesitant step forward. The figure was very similar to her in appearance, although there were a few distinct differences. The soul had a similar hair color and style to Frisk’s own, their skin was a lot more pale than Frisk’s however. She stared at the figures eyes which were a bright red, quite similar in color to her own soul. The clothing they wore was almost a mirror image of Frisks, except they didn’t have the healing charm necklace around their neck as she did._

_“Heh… thanks to you. Letting me take over for a bit with that fish allowed me to ‘borrow’ some of your determination, so I used it to take on a more ‘physical’ spirit form.” The figure responded with a slight grin that quickly formed into a smirk as their red eyes narrowed. “You see that’s probably not good though. Especially not if you want to break the barrier at the end of this.” A slight giggle came from the soul as they stared at Frisk with a narrowed, unsympathetic stare._

_“What do you mean?” Frisk’s tone was one of uncertainty as she looked at the figure with a confused gaze. Her soul turned their back to the woman and gave their shoulders a slight shrug. “I-if our power is really this strong then… why can’t I use it to help others once in a while? What’s the downside to protecting someone with my powers?” the woman asked as she looked at the spirit in front of her now who had grown silent in thought._

_Just as the soul turned around, the smirk still on their face, they opened their mouth to say something before a voice interrupted them. “Using your soul power causes your soul to weaken ever so slightly with each use. It also drains a bit of your determination.” The male voice spoke from behind the two. Frisk turned staring into the darkness around her now, still unable to see just who the voice belonged to. Her soul however gave a slight chuckle as the spirit stared directly ahead of Frisk_

_“Heh, I was beginning to wonder if you’d show up old man. You sure took your sweet time. I didn’t want to have to go through the trouble of explaining all this to little Frisky here. It would have been annoying.” A dark chuckle was given from the figure as their eyes never left the place in front of them. Frisk glanced back at her soul before looking forward still not seeing anything._

_Silence engulfed the three beings for a moment. Although Frisk was unaware of it, the male being was staring at her soul with a slightly narrowed gaze. The figure the soul had created for themselves was eerily familiar as a cold chill passed through the male being. “You have quite the arrogant mouth for a soul don’t you?”_

_“Maybe, but I’m not exactly a normal soul though now am I?” the figure replied with a wide smirk on their features. The soul knew the male being would understand what was meant by that, after all there was only one other human who had carried a soul filled with determination down here. “By the way don’t just refer to me as a soul, I’m a sentient being in my own way and I should be treated as such. I mean the god damn talking flower has a name so why shouldn’t I? I want to be called Chara from now on. Not just ‘soul’.” The figure demanded as they crossed their arms staring with a hard gaze at the darkness in front of them._

_The male was silent, taking in what the soul had just said. He pondered for a moment just how the red human soul worked. “Fine… I’ll humor you and call you by a name as you’ve requested.” The male finally gave in as he gave an irritated sigh in his confusion at the situation. Human souls were so… complex sometimes. Chara gave a slight giggle at his words and smirked defiantly as he directed his attention back to Frisk._

_“Frisk, you need to be weary when using Chara’s powers. Yours is a strong soul, but soul power takes a very long time to recover. You do not have time to wait for that thanks to the poison you’ve been inflicted with. Because of this I would say that you should not use that power without a very good reason.” He spoke in a gentle voice, hoping the woman understood the situation. “You will need all your soul power to get through to Asgore without killing him and to break the barrier. If you are not careful there is a chance that even if you beat Asgore it will be in vain because you will not have the strength needed to break the barrier, nor the time to wait for your soul power to rebuild.”_

_Frisk grew quiet as she listened to the voice. She didn’t want her struggle to be in vain, and she didn’t want the monsters to remain trapped underground if she died before she could use her soul to break the barrier. She gave a weak sigh as she nodded her head slightly. “A-alright, I’ll try not to use my power again.” Frisk agreed giving a smile to the darkness in front of her hoping that the man was there and hadn’t moved since she couldn’t see him. Frisk froze as she felt a ghostly hand brush over her forehead for a moment. Eyes grew wide as she looked around. “W-what?” she whispered curiously as she felt a faint tug on her soul from the waking world as if her body were calling out to her to return. Suddenly her spirit was rooted to the spot, she couldn’t move as faint purple wisps of magic danced around her._

_“I’m sorry Frisk. I cannot let you go quite yet, it will hurt much more if I do.” The male voice spoke in little more than a whisper as she looked into the darkness. Frisk felt panic grip her, it gripped her to her very soul causing Chara to fidget a bit and wince in discomfort._

_“I’m not staying…” although it was hard for her to hear, Frisk recognized the voice to be Sans’s. Her eyes widened in realization that he was leaving. “…Do this… on her own… at risk… longer I stay.” The words were hard to make out, but she was able to hear some of them, enough to piece together what was happening. Frisk felt hot tears form in her eyes as she realized that Sans was leaving. If the man in the shadows was holding her here then she realized it might be thanks to him, and he didn’t want her to convince Sans to stay._

_“Please… please let me say goodbye… what if… I might not see him again before all this is over…” Frisk begged softly as she tried to fight against the magic holding her in place. She heard very faint murmuring of a different voice mixed in with Sans’s as if they were having a conversation. The feel of a ghostly hand gripping her hand before pulling away caused tears to fall from her eyes as she tried to see beyond the darkness that surrounded her as a heavy sadness engulfed her being now._

_Suddenly Chara’s red aura and red heart shifted to a dark blue, causing the spirit to yelp slightly as they winced holding their sides now. “Ah! God damn it, that hurts!” the soul doubled over and glared at Frisk who paid them no mind as she continued to stare in silence, as a few stray tears trailed down her cheeks now._

_The man cast a curious glance at Chara as the soul changed color, intrigued that the sadness was actually able to touch the human’s soul. How had she come to care so much in such a short time that she was consumed by sadness to her very soul? ‘This could be beneficial, this feeling, this caring the two seem to share for each other. It might very well be what will keep them apart so that she can fulfill her destiny. It could also cause some potential issues towards the end of all this.’ The man thought silently to himself as he continued to stare at Chara._

_Snapping out of his thoughts for the time being, the man stood tall as he looked in Frisk’s direction and gave a stern glare. “If you really feel that deeply, then use that as your determination to make it to Asgore and convince him to let you break the barrier. If you are strong enough you will see him again.” A stern sounding voice came from the man now as Frisk looked down at her feet before giving a soft sigh. She fought against the sadness that filled her pushing it down and trying to lock it away._

_Chara’s aura flickered back to red, and the painful sadness left as quickly as it came. The soul gave an exhausted sigh before the figure faded back to a red light surrounding the soul. “A-alright… I’ll do this on my own then…” Frisk tried to sound strong although she didn’t feel as if she were. It wasn’t the trials of trying to get through the Underground to get to Asgore that she feared, it was the crushing loneliness she was starting to feel that scared her. She had always hated being alone more than anything._

_“You’re not alone, you’re friends are always with you in spirit even if they aren’t physically with you. Rest your spirit now little human. Stay determined and that determination will keep you alive.” The man tried to comfort Frisk as best as he knew how as he pushed her out into the darkness with waves of magical energy. Frisk’s eyes felt heavy as they fluttered closed and she drifted along in the darkness._

_***_

Sans ran his hand over the back of his skull as he looked away from the woman. He had to leave soon or risk her waking up, or him not being able to leave at all. He turned looking back at the door as he heard Alphys shuffling on the other side now.

The lizard woman entered the room again, carrying a medical bag with her. Setting the bag on a table near the two she took out a syringe to use to draw the blood before approaching the human, taking her left arm in yellow clawed hands as she began the blood draw. Once satisfied with the amount of the sample Alphys turned to the skeleton that stood near them.

“I’ll see wh-what I can do for her. Let me do a quick check up on you then I’ll leave you to wait for her to wake up. There’s some medication I have that should help the fever and…” Alphys began as she dug through the bag again, looking for something.

“I’m not staying.” The flat response interrupted her words as the lizard froze before turning her head slightly blinking her eyes at the skeleton who avoided her gaze as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “Frisk… needs to do this… on her own. I’m putting her ability to break the barrier at risk the longer I stay…” The words were forced now, Sans didn’t want to say them but there was no choice.

Alphys froze for a moment, she couldn’t let Sans run away from Frisk. She had been watching the two on her cameras since their first meeting, and it had developed into a bit of a shipping obsession as she watched their relationship bloom. An idea came to her… he wouldn’t abandon Frisk if she couldn’t keep going without him would he? Since he knew the potential dangers of the poison it only made sense. “Sans… s-she doesn’t know how to get through Hotland. W-wouldn’t it be b-better if she had a guide… especially considering how fast the poison is spreading?” Alphys pointed out as she stared at the ground now avoiding his gaze.

Sans turned around, unable to face Alphys as he shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Well… she’ll be okay… I mean, she’s pretty determined and… and, y-you can help guide her through Hotland better than I can. You l-live here after all, so it shouldn’t be too much of a burn-den to get her through.” He turned back to look at the lizard giving a slight chuckle as he tried to hide how much his own words stung. When had Frisk managed to make him care this much?

“O-oh… but I’m… I can’t go with her, I’d just slow her down. I’m a scientist not an adventurer.” Alphys retaliated in a quiet voice as she glanced up at the skeleton and fidgeted slightly. “Not to mention… at Asgore’s request… I’ve done some modifications to Mettaton. H-he’s been reprogrammed to detect and… d-destroy humans and capture their souls. I mean since he’s an entertainer r-robot he might have some… odd ways of doing it but… he’s still a threat to Frisk. I… there’s nothing I can do to stop him… not with the programming.” Sans tensed as he listened to the scientist speak.

“There’s nothing you can do about him, even though he’s your creation?” Sans said in a low voice as his eye sockets narrowed at the scientist, he took a deep breath and turned walking back towards Frisk. Looking at the human his eye sockets softened slightly as he set his hand gently on hers while she slept. “Heh… that’s a fibula Alphys. I’ve known you for too long, I know there’s way you can protect Frisk from Mettaton…” Sans frowned slightly.

 _“Please… let me… say… goodbye…”_  Sans blinked his eye socket at the woman, he heard a faint whisper from Frisk but she wasn’t awake, and he hadn’t seen her mouth move either. His eye socket twitched faintly as he felt a dull ache form in his chest, just over his soul as he stared silently at the human for a moment. Sans found himself giving her hand a slight squeeze before he pulled back away from Frisk, once their contact was gone the ache that had formed slowly faded away.

 _“Gotta get out of here…”_ Sans thought to himself before he turned back to look at Alphys now. “Keep a good eye on her Alphys… I know there’s a way you can help her through Hotland without going with her. There are always your cameras after all.” Sans grinned slightly as he arched an eye socket at the scientist who looked at him with wide eyes before a faint blush crossed her cheeks and she fidgeted slightly. She wasn’t surprised the skeleton knew about those, even though she had worked hard at keeping them a secret.

“I… um… c-can’t Sans.” Alphys tried again to reject Sans’s proposal that she help guide Frisk through Hotland. The skeleton’s grin shifted from his normal easy grin to a slightly strained one as he approached the scientist with his hands in his pockets, his left eye glowed faintly in frustration with the situation. He was trying to do the “right” thing here, but Alphys was not being cooperative.

“Listen Alphys… I’m not giving you an option here. I… there’s a good reason why I can’t keep going with Fr… the human. I just need you to trust me on this one. I’m asking you, as a favor for an old pal, that you help the human for me.” Sans spoke as he looked at the lizard woman who blinked her brown eyes at him before giving a slightly defeated sigh as she looked at him.

“F-fine… but, you’re making a mistake. I just hope you don’t regret anything at the end of th-this.” Alphys agreed with a frown as she stared at the skeleton who she saw give a faint sigh at her words as he stepped back from her now.

“Heh, just make sure you take good care of her. If she asks… tell her I had to go back for Papyrus’s sake. Give me a call if you find any way to stop the poison.” Sans turned his back to Alphys and walked through the doorway, vanishing from sight as he used a shortcut to leave.

Alphys looked after him fidgeting slightly as he left. Her eyes watered slightly in frustration before she glanced over at the human. She gave a slight sigh and grabbed the blood sample she had taken from Frisk, leaving the room to start analyzing the poison.

***

Brown eyes fluttered open as they adjusted to the artificial light of the lab. Frisk gave a faint groan as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position. Her head spun violently as she held it in one hand trying to get the feeling to stop. Finally getting the feeling to pass Frisk looked around in confusion, trying to figure out just where she was. Standing to her feet the woman wobbled slightly and gripped the bed but lost her balance and landed with a thud on the floor. “Oww…” Frisk rubbed her lower back.

“Ah! I’m sorry human! I was hoping to get back here before you woke up.” A timid voice called out from the doorway. Frisk heard the sound of clawed feet scraping across the floor as she looked up to see a yellow lizard monster in a lab coat making her way towards her and offer her a hand to help her up. Frisk blinked her eyes hesitantly before taking her hand and pulling herself to her feet.

“Um… wh-where am I?” Frisk asked as she looked around trying to get an idea of what this place was. She figured out it was a lab, but where was the lab at and who was the monster in front of her? Thankfully the lizard seemed nice enough as she walked around checking Frisk out to make sure she didn’t get hurt from the fall.

“Y-you’ve been r-resting in my lab located in Hotland since your fight with Undyne.” Alphys replied as she walked back in front of Frisk now, fidgeting slightly with the bow of her glasses. The woman blinked her eyes at the comment, wondering how she had gotten here.

“Well… thank you for letting me rest then. I hope I haven’t been too much of a burden on you. I’m Frisk.” The woman smiled brightly now as she extended her hand to the lizard woman who looked up at her with surprise.

“O-oh no, you haven’t been a burden at all!” Alphys replied as she shook the human’s hand. “I’m Alphys. I’m Asgore’s royal scientist!” the monster gave a bright grin as she looked at the human. Frisk flinched slightly, hoping that this wasn’t going to end badly. “O-oh! No, I-I didn’t mean for you to think I’m a threat! I-I’ve just been keeping an eye on you since you’ve left the Ruins.”

Frisk blinked her eyes at Alphys a frown crossing her face as she stared at the monster. It was borderline creepy that someone had been watching her travel through the Underground for her entire journey so far, but Frisk didn’t want to be rude and point that out. “W-well… thanks? I think?”

Alphys blinked her eyes at the human before running a clawed hand over her face, her cheeks pink with embarrassment as she stared at the floor. “Um.. uh, what I mean to say… is I’m supposed to keep an eye on things in the Underground for Asgore. Um… a-and I was originally s-supposed to find a way t-to capture you.”

“I, uh, I don’t mean to be rude but… this really isn’t making me feel any better.” Frisk finally spoke up in a low tone as she blinked her eyes at the lizard woman who gave a cry of embarrassment as she buried her face in her hands.

“N-no… grr, I’m sorry! L-let me start over.” Alphys spoke in a panicked tone before taking a deep breath trying to collect her thoughts. “O-okay so I was supposed to stop you, but you haven’t been a threat at all. In fact I’m kind of rooting for you at this point. I mean you make it kind of hard for others not to root for you. S-so… I um… I want to help you now, i-if you’ll let me.” She drummed her clawed fingers together gently as she waited for an answer.

Frisk blinked her eyes in surprise at the request from Alphys. A gentle smile crossed the woman’s face as she opened her mouth to reply, before the reply could come out however Frisk snapped her mouth closed. She gently ran a hand over her upper arm as she hesitated; Frisk recalled that Sans had just broken his promise to stick with her until the end. _“It would hurt less if I just did this alone…”_ she thought silently to herself as she gave the lizard a slightly forced smile.

“I wouldn’t want you to get hurt because of me Alphys. It might be best if I did this on my own.” Frisk tucked her hands behind her back as she kept the forced smile on her face. “I just… need to get t-to Asgore.” Frisk muttered softly. A flare of heat warmed her face as Frisk gave a faint groan and pressed her hand to her face. She realized her skin felt very hot. “A f-fever?” she asked hesitantly in confusion.

“Ah… yes… you d-do have a fever. I… um, I can’t get it to break, I’ve tried everything I have here in the Lab. Th-the only thing I’ve found that has somewhat worked is a strong medication I developed, but… it’s not helping to make the fever go away, just to help suppress it.” Alphys replied handing a small blue pill to Frisk. The woman blinked her eyes before closing them and taking the pill with a gulp, coughing from the effort to swallow it.

“Thank you. I appreciate the help Alphys. Um… once the fever breaks again I should probably get going through Hotland.” Frisk said as she stood up straight again wrapping her arms around herself.

“L-listen… I d-don’t have to go with you if you’re worried about me getting hurt but… you don’t know how to get through Hotland safely do you?” Alphys asked drumming her claws together nervously as she looked at Frisk.

“Well… no I don’t. However, I’m pretty smart. I think I can figure out where to go.” Frisk said giving Alphys a frown. Alphys flinched back away from the sharp remark before sighing and looking at the human.

“I didn’t mean it like that! It’s more that… this poison that you’re inflicted with probably saps your stamina pretty quickly. S-some of the puzzles here in Hotland are a little… d-difficult to navigate. I… I know Hotland like the back of my hand, a-and I have cameras throughout there as well. I-if we exchange numbers I-I c-can guide you if you g-get stuck.” She replied trying to mend the misunderstanding from before.

Frisk blinked her eyes at the lizard before giving a slight sigh and nodding her head in agreement. “I… I guess if you just help me from here… everything should be fine. You’ll need my cell number though.” Frisk replied in a weak sounding tone as she pulled the phone out of her pants pocket. Alphys looked at the outdated cell phone in shock.

“W-why?! Why on earth do you have that thing? Oh-em-gee, gimme that and let me ‘upgrade’ it for you!” the lizard cast a slight glare at the phone as she held out her hand for the offending object. Frisk arched a brow at her before looking at her phone with a sigh. It was just a phone, not too terribly important but both she and Sans seemed intent on giving her hell for the phone. Frisk gently placed the phone in Alphys hand before the lizard woman looked at it with a disgusted look. “Follow me upstairs, I’ll have this upgraded in no time.” Alphys instructed as she turned leading the way from the room to the stairs.

Frisk followed behind the lizard as they walked through the room and into a hallway. Taking a deep breath the human cleared her throat. “A-Alphys, can I ask you something?” Frisk fidgeted slightly with the bottom of her shirt as she spoke to the monster.

“Sure. What is it?” Alphys asked curiously as she glanced back over her shoulder at the human. She saw the human’s eyes were cast downwards as she walked, as if she were thinking to herself about something. The woman paused as she pushed back the hot sting of tears trying to keep her eyes dry, she had never cried about a guy before and she didn’t want to start now.

“Alphys, where’s Sans? Is he… alright? I mean he uh, passed out and… I just wasn’t sure if something had, um, happened? He had used up most of his energy helping me…” she whispered the last part as her grip on the bottom of her shirt tightened still avoiding Alphys’s gaze.

“Heh… d-don’t worry Sans is alright. He actually healed up quicker than I thought he would, considering how much magical energy he used. Um…” Alphys paused, of course she would have to be picked to be the bearer of bad news. “Um… S-Sans, had to go back to Snowdin. He got a phone call and… said something came up. H-he asked me to help you… just f-for the time being of course! I imagine once he’s finished with what he needs to take care of he’ll be back.” She drummed her claws together nervously again. It was just a tiny white lie… maybe it would buy enough time for Sans to change his mind since he hadn’t seemed too keen on the idea of leaving Frisk to fend for herself to begin with.

Frisk bit the inside of her cheek. _“I’m not staying…”_ the words replayed quietly in the back of her mind the same heavy sadness from before started to creep into her soul. _“Oh no! You aren’t doing that to me again, that freaking hurt! Frisk get a hold of yourself, you can’t get hung up on this. I mean… you know too well this isn’t the first time some guy has left you hanging, so just get over it.”_ Chara’s voice rang out in the back of Frisks mind. The woman gave a soft sigh pushing the sadness down again, if Chara really could be hurt by her emotions she would have to try to keep them in check since Frisk didn’t want to hurt Chara.

“Right… just for the time being I’m sure. Heh.” Frisk forced a smile onto her face again as she followed after the lizard as she led them up a set of stairs now to the main level of the lab. As they reached the landing of the stairs a door in front of the two opened up welcoming them into the main area of the top part of the lab. Frisk glanced around the room taking in its living room like appearance as Alphys stopped and turned to look at the human.

“I know it’s not the most comfy looking place ever, but if you want to sit down and, uh, hang out I guess while I upgrade your phone, m-my couch is right there feel, um… feel free to take a seat.” Alphys pushed her glasses up nervously as she gestured to the worn brown couch in the middle of the room, in a “living room” like area.

“Thanks Alphys… I think I will rest a bit longer.” Frisk replied in a quiet tone as she moved past the monster towards the couch. The woman flopped down on the end of the couch; she sat leaning forward staring with a troubled gaze at the floor, her head pounded from the fever she had and she wished Sans was still here. His presents had given Frisk a sense of comfort and had chased away the loneliness, now without him here Frisk felt more lonely than she wanted to admit.

Alphys watched the human go, as she saw the expression the lizard monster wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Opening her mouth to say something, Alphys snapped it closed quickly and gave a defeated sigh before disappearing up another set of stairs that led to her upstairs lab. “Oh Sans… why did you have to leave her in my care? I… I’m not who she needs right now…” Alphys whispered quietly a she made her way into the lab.

 _“Come on Frisk! Snap out of it! I can’t just mope around and wait for him to come back. I don’t have that kind of time. I know I can do this and… and the man in that void-like place did say that if I was determined enough I would see him again. S-so I need to be strong so… so I can see him one last time.”_ Frisk thought silently to herself as she straightened up and her gaze hardened slightly. Being depressed about all this wasn’t going to help get her any closer to Asgore.

“Alright, I can do this. No, I’m GOING to do this. No more moping around.” She said out loud now as she drew up her determination. Her positive feelings filled her soul with determination as Frisk gave a bright smile now and she stood to her feet, standing as tall as she could. She wouldn’t give up, not now that she was getting closer to the king, getting closer to the barrier that she needed to break so her friends could be free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and I hope you enjoyed Chapter 16 of Undertale: Kill or Be Killed! I’ve realized it might be better to put these at the end of the chapters that way I don’t spoil stuff in the beginning.  
> Finally we get out of the Void! I know I put a lot of focus on that these last two chapters, but I feel like it was necessary to keep the story moving. Not to mention Gaster actually does play a pretty big part since he is in theory the one pulling the strings, even though he can’t exactly control anything outside of the Void.  
> I’m hoping that in the next chapter or two I’ll get Frisk back to traveling through Hotland and meeting Metta. There was just some loose ends from the Waterfall arc that needed to be tied up before moving on. Not to mention Frisk reeeeaaaalllly needed a phone upgrade, even though she doesn’t use it that much.  
> Something that I’ve been worried about (something I always worry about actually, because I’m a worrier) is whether or not I’m keeping to character with the characters. Sans in particular has been a struggle, because in the game the only thing he really honestly cared about was Papyrus and potentially Tori(and ketchup). So I was trying to imagine how he would react to actually finding something else he felt bothered to care about. I’m not sure if he seems too angsty or if the way I’ve portrayed him is okay/believable. Feel free to leave me an opinion about this. Even if I don’t reply to you, constructive criticism is always something I can appreciate, if nothing else it might help me with future chapters or stories.  
> Well as always thanks for reading, thanks for the comments and Kudos! I hope you all enjoyed. Look forward to the Alternate Chapter 15 soon, since it had some spoilers for this chapter I held off on posting it.


	18. ALTERNATE Chapter 15

Undyne clenched her teeth as her whole body shook slightly. The human’s actions brought up distant memories of an old friend of Undyne’s. It was making it hard for her to hate the human the way she was supposed to. Finally coming to her decision, Undyne threw Frisk towards Sans. The woman hit the ground hard causing a slight whimper to escape her from the impact.

“If you’re not going to put up a fight you’re not even worth my damn time!” Undyne clenched her teeth as she glared at Frisk. “Consider yourself lucky I don’t like weaklings…” the monster spoke in a low tone as she cast a side glance at the human who rubbed her back slightly where she had landed.

Frisk looked to Undyne, the red light had faded away from her gaze completely now as a small smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Thank you…” she breathed softly with a bow of her head. Frisk felt relief that she had finally gotten through to the guardsman, however she quickly realized the relief wouldn’t last long.

_*UNDYNE WAS SPARED*_

Frisk’s whole body tensed up as pain shot up her spine causing her to straighten as she let out a scream. Sans winced as moved as quickly as he could to her side, still exhausted from the fight. Sitting on his knees in front of the woman he pulled her against him so that she knew she wasn’t alone, there wasn’t much else Sans could do and he knew this.

Frisk’s body shook against his violently as the poison spread through her body again. She screamed into his chest as tears trailed down her cheeks and her breath came in hard gasps as the pain clutched her in its grip to the point of immobilizing her. Sans’s hand ran gently down the back of her head as he tried to comfort her, finding his anger at the little weed that had caused her pain growing steadily in the back of his mind.

“Breath Angel, I know it’s getting harder but you gotta fight through it.” Sans whispered softly to the woman while trying to convince himself at the same time that he could handle seeing her go through the crippling pain. A dull ache in his chest reminding him that it was getting harder for him to watch.

“I-it hurts!” Frisk finally admitted out loud, her pride fleeing in wake of the pain that wracked her body. She grabbed his jacket for comfort as her loud sobs began to change to whimpers, her head spun violently and she still felt the searing pain burning through her body as she lost the fight. The shaking finally stopped as she slumped against the skeleton, unconscious.

Sans released a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Keeping a hold of the human Sans’s gaze rose from her. His bones tensed as he saw Undyne staring at them with the most confused expression he had ever seen on her scaly face. The look changed to one that seemed to demand an explanation for the sudden outburst that had brought the human down.

“Okay. What in the hell just happened? She was just fucking fine one second and the next it sounds like she’s dying!” Undyne stomped towards the two of them still completely lost as to what had happened. Sans looked at her not saying anything at first as his head gave a slight throb, it had been a long couple of days. He laid Frisk down on the ground on her back.

“It’s easier if you see it, then if I explain it…” Sans muttered as he pointed to the woman’s arms. Undyne looked at the human, seeing the weird lines she had drawn on her skin. About to ask just what they were, Undyne grew silent as she blinked her eye in shock.

The faint pinkish purple light lit up the vines that crawled across Frisk’s skin before they spread even further. The right side of her face was completely covered at this point, and the little vines were starting to take over her left eye and cheek; the vines on her neck had spread all the way around to the left side of her face. Frisk’s arms and legs were completely taken over by the vines now. Anything under her clothing Sans couldn’t be sure, but he figured they were spreading to the rest of her body as well. The light faded leaving only the deep purple lines across her skin.

“That is a poison she’s been afflicted with. Every time she spares one of our sorry asses from death by not fighting us, it spreads taking over more of her.” Sans spoke in a calm tone as he stared at Undyne with a pupiless gaze now, feeling his anger at the fish monster still stirring in him. “You and I have no idea what kind of pain Frisk is going through in order to not kill anyone. I’ve seen her collapse from the pain more times than I care to remember at this point.” He spoke again in a slightly darker sounding tone.

Her shock slowly faded away as she crossed her arms over her chest plate glaring hard at the skeleton in front of her now. “Just how long has she known this hurts her? It’s had to have been since at least Snowdin since you seem to know about it.” Undyne snapped at him. “If she knows and she still spares the monsters how the hell is that our fault? I don’t recall asking her to be a little goody-two –shoes with me. She seems real stupid, that’s for damn sure.” She gave a slight snort looking down at the human now as she tried to push down the guilt she was feeling.

“You should stop talking…” the skeleton warned as his black gaze narrowed dangerously at Undyne not bothering to hide the hint of anger in his tone. “Regardless of what you think, that’s what this human is doing for the monsters down here. I’ll give you a fair warning here and now; knowing just what Frisk is going through for us, if you ever raise your spear or fist to her again… she won’t be able to stop me from making sure you have a bad time…” a smile lifted the corners of his mouth as Sans grinned widely at her, his pupils returning to his eye sockets as they stared at the monster. “You’ll get dunked on.” He gave one final warning as he knelt down and picked up Frisk in his arms now. They had to keep moving and Alphys was just up the road, she would at least be able to examine the woman and see if there was something she could do for the poison.

Undyne blinked her eye in shock at the skeleton in front of her. “Relax Lazybones. If nothing else I can at least respect her determination to face us monsters with that kind of attitude. I gave my word I would spare her. As long as she doesn’t kill anyone then I promise I won’t try to fight her…” Undyne spoke in a surprised tone as she stood with her hands on her hips. She had never heard Sans sound serious before, the serious tone combined with the grin he had flashed her way left her a bit unnerved at the threat. “Although I’d love to know where you think you’re taking her in the condition you two are in?”

“Alphys Lab is just up the way isn’t it? We’re heading there.” Sans spoke in a calm tone once more as his nonchalant demeanor returned to him. Turning to walk forward he felt Undyne’s hand grip the hood of his jacket causing him to stop.

“Uh… in your condition? Shit, I don’t think you should go near Alphys Lab until you two can at least defend yourselves again. If what she said is true, it would be stupid to walk in there now…” Undyne replied as she rose and eye brow at the skeleton who looked back at her.

“What do you mean? You can’t tell me you think Alphys is dangerous at all…” Sans snorted slightly trying not to laugh at the thought. Sans had known Alphys for a long time, she couldn’t be dangerous if she wanted to.

“Oh god no. Alphys is about as dangerous as a Moldsmal. But you know about her stupid robot right?” Undyne replied sarcastically at first before her tone became serious again. The robot was going to be a problem for them, not Alphys herself.

“Who? Mettaton? He’s an entertainer robot isn’t he? Why do I need to worry about him?” A confused look crossed Sans face as Undyne mentioned Mettaton. Sans wasn’t the biggest fan of the robot but Papyrus liked to watch his show sometimes, so Sans would watch it with him. The robot never struck Sans as a threat before.

“Alphys was bragging to me about how she did some modifications to turn him into a human hunting robot as well. I dunno why she decided that would be a good idea, I also I dunno what that implies and if he’s dangerous or not, but if you walk in there like you are right now it won’t be good, especially if he’s actually a threat.” Undyne spoke as she frowned at Sans who turned to face her now.

“Are you serious?” he asked in an irritated tone before glancing back in the direction of the lab. “I still have to get her to Alphys… she’s the only one I can think of who might be able to come up with an anti-venom.” Sans groaned slightly as he spoke. He was running out of options, and as much as he wanted to create a short cut to get back to Snowdin he didn’t have the energy to do it.

“Man, quit looking at the ground with that pathetic stare. Just bring your damn human back to my house to rest up! It’s the only option there is right now unless you want to risk getting killed by walking around Hotland like that.” Undyne snapped at Sans in an annoyed tone as she glared at him. She hated hesitance as it didn’t do anything to help anyone and was a waste of time.

Sans blinked his eyes at the fish monster, still recalling what had just happened between her and Frisk. “Why would I bring her back to your place? You just said it was her own fault if she gets hurt and now you expect me to bring her back to Waterfall?” he arched a bony brow at Undyne who glanced away from him crossing her arms over her chest again.

“I mean she was stupid enough to protect me from your last attack, and she won’t fucking kill me so I don’t have much to worry about. Look Lazybones, I figure if nothing else I at least owe her a favor for not letting you try to kill me. Not that I was worried you would, you’re just a lazy pile of bones.” Undyne growled in an irritated tone as she looked back at Sans and continued to glare at him again. The skeleton blinked his eyes taking in what she had just said as he looked at Undyne with an arched eye socket. Even hearing her say she was going to return a favor was rare, let alone hear her say it about a human.

“Don’t give me that look you twit! In case you over looked it, the human’s face is starting to turn red! Either she has a fever from the poison or she’s dehydrated, and she needs to get out of Hotland’s heat! I might not like her, but I’m not a damn heartless monster!” Undyne clenched her fists glaring hard at Sans now with a mixture of irritation and a hint of worry.

Sans glanced down at Frisk and realized that Undyne was right. Frisk’s slightly tan face had become bright red in the time they had been having a conversation, he could seen sweat drops begin to bead on her forehead. Giving a reluctant sigh, knowing that there were few options especially if Mettaton was just waiting to attack Frisk somewhere in Hotland, Sans shifted Frisk in his arms and looked at Undyne with a slight grin. “Alright, but remember what I said about raising a fist or spear to Frisk…” Sans said as he walked back across the bridge to Waterfall. Undyne narrowed her gaze as she gave a grunt at the warning and lead the two back into Waterfall.

_The darkness felt heavy as it surrounded Frisk, who still felt a slight twinge of pain which was unusual. In this place she hadn’t felt the pain of the conscious world before. “Well, well. You held up better than I thought… although I suppose passing out would have at least been easier. Especially with how painful that poison is.” The voice from the back of her mind muttered behind her. Turning around Frisk saw a figure that had a faint red aura surrounding them._

_“Ah! You… you actually have a form this time?” Frisk asked curiously looking at the person in front of her. It was very similar in appearance to Frisk, probably because it was her soul, its brown hair in the same style, its skin was a lot more pale then Frisks though, and its eyes were bright red in color, similar to the color of her soul. Its clothing was a mirror image of Frisk’s own clothes._

_“Heh, well you’ve given me enough energy to take on a form in your mind. You see though that’s probably not good… especially not if you want to break the barrier at the end of this.” The soul giggled slightly as it looked at Frisk with an unsympathetic stare._

_“What do you mean?” Frisk asked in an uncertain tone as she looked at the figure who turned its back to the woman now and shrugged her shoulders. “Our power is so strong, what’s the downside to me calling it out every once in a while? Especially in a situation like that one?”_

_“Using your soul power causes the soul to weaken ever so slightly with each use…” a male voice spoke out from behind them. Frisk turned seeing no one there as the darkness pressed on her eyes. Her soul turned to face the direction as well a sneer crossing its features as it stared at the darkness._

_“Heh I was hoping you’d show up old man. Going through the trouble of explaining this to Frisk would have been annoying for me.” Frisk’s soul gave a slightly dark chuckle as it looked at someone Frisk couldn’t see._

_There was a brief pause. Although Frisk couldn’t see him, the owner of the voice was eyeing her souls form with a suspicious stare.“You have quite the mouth on you for a soul…”_

_“Don’t refer to me as just a soul, I’m Chara. I think I deserve a name after all the trouble I’ve gone through for Frisk here.” The soul, who called herself Chara now, spoke up interrupting the male voice. Again there was silence, causing Chara to smirk deviously into the darkness where he was. She waited wondering what the owner of the voice would do._

_“Really? Fine… I’ll humor you and call you by a name.” an irritated sigh was issued as Chara gave a slight chuckle at the comment. “Anyway, Frisk… you need to be weary using the sou- Chara’s powers. It is a strong soul but soul power takes a very long time to recover and since you do not have time to wait around thanks to the poison you’ve been inflicted with, I would suggest not wasting that power without a very good reason.” The male voice directed its attention back to the human’s spirit that stood before him._

_“It’s that dangerous for me to use the powers? I… didn’t realize that using soul power would cause problems… if that’s true I’ll try not to use it again.” Frisk muttered in an apologetic tone as she blinked her eyes at the darkness in front of her._

_“If you do use it, just keep in mind the repercussions of using the power. Unfortunately in moments of high stress it seems as though you lose your rationality and just release Chara without realizing it. I don’t doubt you’ll probably be using its power again without meaning to.” The voice replied to her promise to try to not use it again. He had a feeling it would be impossible to avoid. Sans seemed to be some of the reason behind this._

_Hesitating, the man in the darkness thought it would be best to not put Frisk under any more stress at the moment. He could feel that her body was already weakening and her spirit needed to remain strong in order to keep her alive. If she lost her determination before all this was over she would die… there would be no more resets, at least from the human. Although the man had more to say it would be best to save it for another time. He sent out waves of magical energy from his body again._

_“I think it’s best if you return to your body for the time being. I have more to talk to you about but that can wait for now…” he said pushing both Chara and Frisk from the darkness of The Void. He watched as their figures vanished from his sight and gave a soft sigh. He never would have thought Sans of all monsters would cause him this much trouble. “I… may need to talk to him if Frisk can’t stop herself from using Chara…” the voice slipped into an uneasy silence as he pondered something in the darkness of the void.”That explains the familiar feeling I got from her soul…” he muttered finally._

Frisk’s brown gaze flickered open, her vision blurry and her body felt very warm and very heavy as she lay on her back on a comfy couch. She stared blankly at the ceiling above her for a moment as her brain began to process the fact that she was conscious again. Her body didn’t want to move as she gave a weak cough.

“HUMAN! HAVE YOU FINALLY AWAKENED?!” A familiar loud voice shattered the silence causing Frisk to jump in surprise and sit upright, her breathing labored as she looked around her. She saw a familiar skeleton standing with his hands on his hips as he stood grinning at the woman.

“Ah… y-yeah… I’m up.” Frisk replied in a weak sounding voice as she put her hand on her forehead feeling a faint heat radiating from her skin. _“A fever? That’s not good… I wonder if it’s from the poison…”_ Frisk thought weakly as she moved her hand away and smiled at Papyrus as he approached quickly putting his face near hers. Apparently he knew very little about personal space.

“YOU STILL APPEAR SICK! PERHAPS SLEEPING FOR THREE DAYS WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO BREAK YOUR COLD!” Papyrus spoke as he observed Frisk’s flushed cheeks and her tired gaze which grew wide at the mention of how long she had been asleep.

“T-Three days?! I’ve been asleep for that long?!” Frisk gasped as she stared at the skeleton with a shocked expression. She went to say more however a small coughing fit took over as she struggled to stop it before it finally passed.

“WELL MORE LIKE THREE AND A HALF!” Papyrus ran his gloved hand over his chin correcting himself before shifting his attention back to Frisk. “YOU MUST HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED TO SLEEP FOR SO LONG! UNDYNE AND I FINALLY CONVINCED SANS TO LEAVE HIS SPOT HE HAD STAYED IN THE WHOLE TIME JUST THIS MORNING IN ORDER TO GET SOME FOOD FOR YOU WHEN YOU DID WAKE UP… ALTHOUGH HE WAS ADAMENT THAT I STAY WITH YOU INSTEAD OF UNDYNE, PERHAPS BECAUSE OF HER PREVIOUSLY… MURDERY… OPINION OF YOU!” Papyrus said informing Frisk of where his brother had disappeared to.

The woman closed her eyes for a moment taking in the information to her fuzzy brain. “W-wait? Undyne? Where exactly am I right now Paps?” Frisk asked in a confused tone as she scrunched her eyes shut harder running a hand over her face trying to make sense of what was going on.

“AH, YES, I SUPPOSE YOU ARE QUITE CONFUSED. IT’S TO BE EXPECTED SINCE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO! YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED IN UNDYNE’S HOUSE BACK IN WATERFALL. SHE HAS GRACIOUSLY ALLOWED YOU AND SANS TO STAY AT HER HOUSE WHILE YOU RECOVERED FROM THE SUDDEN COLD THAT STRUCK WHEN YOU WERE FLEEING FROM HER FROM WATERFALL.” Papyrus explained with a grin on his face. Frisk blinked her eyes open as she looked at him, realizing that Sans must have told him she had fainted from a cold. The woman was having a hard time accepting that Undyne had just allowed her and Sans to stay at her house, especially considering her stance on Frisk to begin with.

Taking in the rest of what Papyrus had said, Frisk felt her chest grow warm realizing that Sans had refused to leave her side while she was unconscious. She couldn’t help but smile slightly at the thought of how kind he had been to her on their way through Waterfall, how selflessly he had been willing to use up his own energy at the expense of her well being. She realized she was lucky to have come across the skeleton down here where things weren’t always that way, especially for her. A slight sigh escaped her as she thought about it silently before glancing to Papyrus who had been talking about… something… although she had missed almost all of what he had said.

“…AND THEN UNDYNE TOLD ME OF HER MERCIFUL DECISION TO SPARE YOUR SOUL AS LONG AS YOU PROMISED TO HELP US ALL OUT! IT WAS RATHER… KIND OF HER… CONSIDERING HOW SHE NORMALLY ISN’T SO MERCIFUL! SHE WOULD RATHER STABBY STAB AND CRUSH MOST OPPONENTS!” Papyrus finished as he looked at Frisk not realizing she hadn’t been listening to most of what he had said.

“Erm… yeah, she was oddly… merciful. I’m kind of glad though. I didn’t really want to fight her.” Frisk replied a bit hesitantly as she lay back down on the couch still feeling exhausted, and feeling as if her fever had gotten worse in the time they had been talking. Her face felt warm and her mind was a bit fuzzy.

A strange thought suddenly popped into Frisk’s mind in her feverish state as she pondered silently about the monsters of the Underground. Before her mental filter could stop herself, Frisk heard herself speak again. “N-not to get off topic but I… I’ve got a question for you Papyrus…” the words came out in a slightly feverish slur that Frisk’s mental filter couldn’t stop.

“HOW CAN I ASSIST YOU HUMAN?” He tilted his head curiously at Frisk who was unconsciously running her fingers over the healing charm on her neck. She was quiet for a moment, suddenly regretting that she hadn’t been able to shut her mouth up quick enough.

“I… I was just wondering… hypothetically how someone would… go about showing a sign of affection to a skeleton…” she was grateful for the fever to help cover the blush that crossed her face. It had been a random thought to pop into her mind as she thought about how little affection seemed to be shared down here. She had seen the sibling affection between Sans and Papyrus, the…weird affection of Dogamy and Dogaressa and the motherly affection of Toriel, but otherwise she hadn’t seen any other monsters really friendly with one another.

“HUMAN… I THOUGHT WE ALREADY CAME TO AN AGREEMENT THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN FRIENDS?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALREADY THANKS TO YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME?” Papyrus said in a loud tone as he crossed his arms over his chest plate staring at Frisk with a stern gaze. The woman shook her head slightly, avoiding his gaze to avoid her cheeks flaring up even more from embarrassment.

“N-no… I’m alright, I’ve already come to terms with how I feel about you Paps. I just… was curious. Humans and probably quite a few monsters can show affection with a kiss but skeletons… well… you don’t exactly have lips so it’s not the same… I… I was just curious. I think it’s more the fever talking at this point than… than anything.” Frisk responded weakly running her hand over her face as she felt the temperature of her entire face was hot against the palm of her hand. _“God… it’s making my fever worse the more I blush… brain this was a bad idea… I hope I don’t pass back out.”_

“YOU ARE A VERY STRANGE HUMAN TO ASK A QUESTION FOR NO REASON! HOWEVER IF YOU ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER I WOULD SAY THAT A SKELETON SMOOCH WOULD BE AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET TO WHAT YOU LIP HAVERS WOULD CALL A KISS!” Papyrus responded as he arched an eye socket at the human, wondering if she was alright. If it was the fever talking that probably meant it had increased again, which was not a good thing as it had taken quite a while to get it to finally break this morning.

Frisk turned her head slightly and gave the skeleton a tired, quizzical stare as she blinked her eyes at him. “A… skeleton smooch? W-what on earth is that?” She asked in a confused tone as her brow furrowed together curiously.

“HMM… I’M NOT SURE IF I CAN EXPLAIN IT WELL! YOU SEE IT’S A SIGN OF AFFECTION SKELETONS SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER… I HAVE NOT EVER HAD SOMETHING LIKE THAT SHARED WITH ME… I WAS ONLY TOLD ABOUT IT A LONG TIME AGO BY…SOMEONE…”Papyrus’s gaze dropped for a moment as he recalled the person who had once told him about a skeleton smooch. Pushing down the unhappy memory and locking it away the skeleton’s gaze rose again to the humans. “THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME WAS A SKELETON BRUSHES THEIR CHEEKBONE AGAINST ANOTHER SKELETONS CHEEKBONE TO SHOW THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM. KIND OF LIKE LIPS BRUSHING AGAINST LIPS I SUPPOSE.”

Frisk blinked her eyes at Papyrus, sensing a moment of sadness before he had looked at her, a small frown on her features as she listened to him. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you… I was just curious.” Frisk spoke in a soft tone as guilt hung to her words causing Papyrus to shake his head quickly at her words.

“YOU DIDN’T UPSET ME HUMAN! I AM PERFECTLY FINE, I ASSURE YOU!” The skeleton replied quickly trying to rid her of her guilt as he stood with his hands on his hips now, grinning brightly as he looked at Frisk, who managed a small smile.

“G-good… I’m glad one of us is…” she spoke in a gentle tone before she started coughing again, pushing herself up into a sitting position as she did. “C-can I get… s-some water? Please?” she managed to ask in between coughing. Papyrus quickly moved to the other side of the room where the kitchen area was located and grabbed a glass of water returning to Frisk’s side with it.

After she had gulped down the water quickly, Frisk gave a sigh of relief as her body heat dropped slightly thanks to the liquid. “YOU KNOW HUMAN, I’M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND HUMANS SO WELL. IS THAT MARK ON YOUR BODY SOMETHING BIG IN THE HUMAN WORLD? IT APPEARS LARGER THAN I REMEMBER IT BEING THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU.” Papyrus asked as he tilted his head at Frisk. The woman’s eyes widened as her whole body tensed up, looking now at her hands. She noticed the vine like lines had taken over her entire hand… maybe even her entire arm.

“U-um… n-no not really. Say… does Undyne have a bathroom around here somewhere?” Frisk managed to push out the words, feeling herself beginning to hyperventilate again, she looked to Papyrus who nodded his head.

“INDEED SHE DOES! IT’S OVER THIS WAY. I’LL HELP YOU OVER THERE!” The skeleton spoke loudly as he extended his hand for Frisk to take. The woman accepted his help and stood to her feet, wobbling violently for a moment as she did before she steadied herself.

Determinedly she walked forward using Papyrus’s hand to keep herself balanced but otherwise wanting to make it on her own. Approaching the door she pushed it open looking to the skeleton with a slight smile. “Thank you.” She whispered appreciatively as she let go and used the door frame to support herself as she pushed the door closed behind her.

Frisk made her way over to the mirror that was up above the sink. Standing as tall as she could so she could see her reflection Frisk gave a gasp at what looked back at her as her eyes watered in fear. She saw now just how far the poison had spread across her skin, taking over the right side of her face and beginning to stretch its crawling vines over to the left side of her face. The front of her neck was completely covered with the vines.

Taking a deep breath to try to keep herself calm, remembering Sans’s words from Snowdin. There was no point in panicking about it right now, even though she desperately wanted to. Hesitantly Frisk pulled her shirt off to examine her torso and see if it had made it that far yet. Finally getting the shirt over her head as she put it on the sink, the woman stood in front of the sink now in her bra and pants.

Frisk looked at her front, seeing that the poison vines that crawled up her arms had begun to make their way onto her shoulders and sides. The one near her collarbone was slowly making its way downwards over the upper part of her chest. Thankfully the ones on her legs hadn’t gotten up to her abdomen yet.

“Sugar?” a familiar voice called from the other side of the door. Frisk felt her heart leap slightly as Sans startled her. Turning quickly Frisk’s tired legs made her lose her balance as she fell backwards against the sink. The force of her body hitting it was enough to knock over a glass and a hairbrush that had been sitting on the back of the sink.

As the glass hit the floor and broke and the brush thudded loudly as well, Frisk winced. “Oh, damn it…” she muttered before hearing the sound of the door knob turning. “S-Sans, wait!” she tried to stop him before she ended up embarrassing both of them, but as the door opened she realized it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the alternate path I was thinking of taking with this story. I feel like if I would have kept on this path it would have turned into a very fluffy story(everyone will understand more in alternate chapter 16), which I wouldn’t have minded but it’s not called Flufftale it’s called Undertale.(although that sounds like an… interesting AU for Undertale*is shot*) I still feel like I’ll be taking inspiration from these alternate chapters that I started on for bits and pieces in the actual story. I already did just that with Chapter 16 which is why I waited to post the alternate Chapter 15. There’s not much to say here about this particular alternate Chapter, but I hope it was somewhat enjoyable.  
> Also I’d like to say that some credit for the idea of the Skeleton Smooch goes to jpangel97. Her idea she used in her story was more like a forehead nuzzle which was super adorable, and I wanted to do something similar.


	19. Chapter 17

A faint crackle of magic filled the air in the skelebro’s house in Snowdin. Sans suddenly appeared out of the exit to his shortcut in front of the couch in his living room. Giving a faint groan the skeleton flopped down on the couch once his feet were back on the floor. Closing his eye sockets, Sans ran a hand over his face as a few beads of sweat rolled down his skull. “Heh… guess I wasn’t quite ready to take that long of a short cut.” The skeleton chuckled slightly to himself with a grin.

As exhaustion took over Sans felt his eye sockets grow heavy as he began to nod off on the couch. “SANS! ARE YOU BACK FROM HELPING THE HUMAN?” Papyrus’s voice echoed through the room causing Sans’s eye sockets to snap open as he saw his brother peering at him from the kitchen doorway.

“Um… yeah… yeah I am Paps.” Sans replied in a sleepy tone as he grinned at his brother from the couch. “I think she’ll be fine on her own now.” he added giving a slight yawn as he pushed himself to sit upright.

“REALLY? WELL I’M SURE THE KING WILL BE MERCIFUL WHEN THE HUMAN GETS THERE. ALTHOUGH I HEARD THAT THE ELEVATORS IN HOTLAND ARE NOT WORKING. THE HUMAN WILL HAVE TO TAKE THE LONG WAY AROUND I SUPPOSE.” Papyrus replied with a thoughtful expression on his face before returning back to his cooking in the kitchen. Sans blinked his eye sockets at his brother before closing them, leaning back into the couch as his eye sockets scrunched together in thought. It was going to be a long trip for Angel without the elevators being operational. Would she… be alright?

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming from the kitchen before coming to a stop. Sans opened his eye socket and glanced over, feeling as if someone were staring at him. He froze as he saw Undyne glaring hard at him from the doorway. _“Looks like they started her house on fire again.”_  Sans gave a quiet chuckle to himself, although the look Undyne was giving him told him that she probably had a bone to pick with him.

“Keep stirring Papyrus! I want that pot to be nothing but a smashed pot of tomatoes by the time I come back in!” Undyne barked loudly at the taller skeleton as she grinned at him giving a wink before turning back and strutting into the living room as her yellow eye glared hard at the smaller skeleton with her hands on her hips.

Undyne looked a little less threatening without her big bulky armor. Her tall frame was slender and wiry from years of training to be the best of the Royal Guards. Her blue skin was covered with various lighter colored scars, showing her dedication to training and fighting. Today the fish woman wore a tight black tank top that was tucked into her blue jeans; she wore a pair of brown hiking boots to complete the look. Her red hair was in its traditional pony tail however a long tuft of hair was left down in the front covering her eye patch from view.

“What’s up Undyne? If looks could krill I’d be minnows away from death.” Sans grinned at the guard who stood glaring at him. Her glare shifted to an irritated scowl as she heard the puns.

“OH MY GOD, SANS! DON’T EMBARRESS ME WITH YOUR PUNS!” Papyrus cried loudly from the kitchen causing his brother to give a chuckle at his words. Undyne glanced back at the kitchen before moving closer to Sans to try to keep Papyrus from hearing them.

“What are you doing back here? Don’t you have a human to babysit?” Undyne growled slightly in a low tone as confusion entered her gaze. She had assumed Sans was going with the human all the way to Asgore,  he had seemed so intent on protecting her so it had seemed that way to Undyne at least.

“Yeah I was hanging out with her for a whale.” Sans replied as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “I think the human will be fin on her own though. She’s a pretty smart gill, I think she can handle things on her own for shore. Also Alphys is pretty fin-tastic at navigating Hotland, so I don’t think the human has a lot tuna worry about.” Sans broke into laughter at the end, unable to hold it in anymore as he watched Undyne grimace at his puns. _“Heh… she would have loved that…”_ Sans thought to himself, he then pushed the thought from his mind as a faint sigh escaped him now that the laughter had died down.

“Oh my god! I’m gonna murder you lazybones!” Undyne yelled gripping the collar of the grinning skeleton’s jacket tightly as she brought her face right up next to Sans’s. Sans gave her a wink and just chuckled at her reaction slightly.

“UNDYNE! THERE WILL BE NO MURDERING OF SANS! NO MATTER HOW TERRIBLE HIS PUNS ARE HE IS STILL MY BROTHER!” Papyrus yelled as he stood in the doorway now holding a spoon covered with tomato sauce threateningly at Undyne.

The fish woman gave an irate groan as she let Sans go and stood up running her hand over her face in irritation before looking back down at the skeleton on the couch as Papyrus returned to his stirring. She put a hand on either side of the couch trapping Sans there as she glared down at him. “Damn it, you’re doing it again Sans. Using that dumb ass humor of yours to distract others from the real problem, it’s something you have a bad habit of doing and I’m starting to get fucking sick of it.” Undyne accused in a slightly louder tone as she stared at him with a hard gaze. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that Sans had just decided to leave the human on her own, especially not after he tried to take her on just to protect the human.

Sans’s eye sockets went dark as he looked up at Undyne his grin lifting slightly into a strained smirk. “Undyne… what have I told you about swearing in front of my bro?” Sans’s voice was quiet as he spoke to the fish woman who looked at him and froze as her mouth dropped open. She knew enough to take him seriously with his threats involving Papyrus, a well timed bone attack just missing her head had taught her that one. Honestly she didn’t think Sans had it in him but he had gotten VERY close with that one.

“Shiiiii-oot! S-sorry Sans. Seriously I’m sorry! It… it won’t happen again I promise!” Undyne backed off quickly as she held her hands up in front of her hoping he would relax a little bit. The skeleton stared at her with his black eye sockets as he stood to his feet, the smirk still on his face. Undyne took a hesitant step back, hoping that because Papyrus was in the area he would give her a little bit of a break.

“Heh… that’s your freebie Undyne, you better keep that in mind.” Sans tucked one of his hands into his pocket as he closed his eye sockets and snapped his fingers disappearing and reappearing on the landing up the stairs, right in front of his door. “Also I dunno what you’re talking about. I’m just pretty humerus is all.” He called out down the stairs glancing back over his shoulder with his dark eye sockets and the smirk still on his face before disappearing into his room.

Undyne turned and looked up at the landing giving a faint sigh as she remembered to breathe again. Turning around she flopped down on the couch where the smaller skeleton had just been as she ran her hand through her bangs that hung down over her eye patch. “Man that was freaking creepy. He actually can be kind of scary sometimes.” She muttered to herself taking a few more breaths to gather her scattered thoughts before standing to her feet and walking back into the kitchen to finish the cooking lesson with Papyrus.

*~*~*~*~*

Frisk paced the main room of the lab waiting for Alphys to return with her phone. As she paced, the woman glanced at the giant tv that was broadcasting herself on it. A puzzled look crossed her face as Frisk wondered if Alphys had been watching her the entire time or if she had just been watching some of what she was doing. The woman shifted her gaze to the computer near the tv monitor and approached it slowly. She saw selfies of who appeared to be Undyne without her armor and Alphys as the background image as well as some other pictures stuck to the side of the monitor.

Frisk tilted her head slightly as she observed each of the pictures, firstly taking in what Undyne really looked like under all her armor, and then taking in the two of them in each picture. Undyne appeared relaxed and cheerful, while Alphys appeared more surprised and shy, all the while having an admiring look in her eyes for the fish woman. That seemed to be a similar thing in every single selfie that was there. _“Wait… are they… a couple?”_ Frisk found herself wondering curiously as she considered the huge difference in their personalities. She couldn’t even imagine the timid Alphys being able to ask Undyne out, let alone be able to have a relationship with the fish woman.

Looking closely at the pictures a small smile lifted the corner of Frisk’s mouth as she observed how happy the two looked together. Her brown gaze narrowed slightly in curiosity as she turned her attention to a notification that was up on the computer screen. “Would you like to move FransShip.avi to MyShipping Folder?” Frisk blinked her eyes and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh at the prompt.

“Looks like Alphys is a shipper. Actually I’m not too surprised; she does seem kind of geeky like that.” Frisk smiled muttering softly to herself as she glanced at a few dvd cases on the floor next to the computer table that appeared to be anime of some sort. “I wonder though… who is that pairing? I don’t recognize the name.” the woman curiously eyed the file that had been selected as her hand hovered towards the mouse.

The sound of clawed feet making their way back down the stairs stilled Frisk’s hand as she pulled away from the mouse and shifted herself back over to the tv monitor that was receiving feed of herself to it. Alphys appeared at the bottom of the stairs and looked towards Frisk who was standing staring up at herself. The lizard woman’s eyes widened slightly as she approached nervously. “Uh… um… y-you’re up and moving I see! F-feeling better then?” Alphys asked as she clutched the phone to her chest.

“Well… not really. I can’t just sit around though, there’s too much on my mind for that.” Frisk replied flashing a slight smile to the doctor before returning her gaze to the tv monitor. “So I take it this is how you’ve been… ‘keeping an eye on me’ as you put it?” Frisk asked glancing at Alphys, whose face flared a bright red color.

“Y-yes. All my cameras are transmitting feed to this tv for me to see. I-including the ones that were showing you.” Alphys ran her clawed hand over the back of her neck nervously; she thrust a completely different looking phone towards Frisk. It was more like Frisk’s actual smart phone that she had lost. It had a pink and white case on it; the back of the case had a sticker of an anime girl head with cat ears, beneath the head were the words “Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie”.

“Um…” Frisk looked at the phone in confusion as she took it from Alphys hand. “Is this even the same phone?” Frisk glanced to Alphys who gave a slight laugh and nodded her head at the question.

“F-for the most part yes. I uh… took the internal parts of the phone and put them into a different case. S-so all the information that was on that old phone is still there, p-plus some… um added features, to help you through Hotland. Also I um… took the liberty of creating you an account on UnderNet! It’s our version of a social media site!” The doctor nodded her head as she answered the questioning look the human gave her.

Frisk blinked her eyes as she powered on the phone in her hands. Alphys had said that everything that had been in the old phone was also in the rebuilt phone, so secretly Frisk was hoping that Toriel’s number was still there. She had a feeling the goat lady wasn’t going to pick up no matter what but having the number still gave Frisk a sense of comfort as she thought back to the motherly goat who had been her very first friend down here.

“I also took the liberty of adding a few other numbers besides mine into the phone as well… th-they’re the numbers of the o-others you’ve met h-here in the Underground. You… uh… you never know when you’ll n-need to contact someone, o-or who will be able t-to help w-with a puzzle.” Alphys drummed her fingertips together nervously as she spoke avoiding eye contact with Frisk. She didn’t want to make it too apparent that her actual goal had been to just add Sans’s number for Frisk.

“Oh… um thank you, for the upgrade and the help I really appreciate it.” Frisk smiled slightly looking at the doctor before selecting the contacts in her phone and checking to see who was in there. Frisk browsed over the names in her contact list with a quick flick of her gaze. The woman paused as her breath caught in her throat as she felt her heart give a painful thud in her chest. Sans’s name glared brightly on her phone screen now as her gaze softened and a small smile curled the corner of her mouth slightly.

Alphys took note of the look and clamped her hands together tightly trying hard to keep herself from fangirling over the reaction Frisk had. If she was correct that look was probably for Sans’s number. Slowly she approached the human still smiling at her. “I uh… I thought all the important names should be included in there. So I put Undyne’s number in there, although I know you two started off on the wrong foot, sh-she is really a g-g-good monster, and… I know she’ll help you if you ask. Papyrus’s number I put in there, because despite how he seems sometimes, he’s actually REALLY good at puzzles. U-uh… um, S-Sans’s number as well, b-b-because uh…”

“Thank you Alphys.” Frisk said cutting off the doctor, not really needing her to explain even more as to why she did what she did. Thinking of Sans still pained the woman a bit, but she knew deep down it wasn’t really goodbye since she would see him again. “I’m curious Alphys… are you and Undyne a couple?” Frisk quickly changed the subject to get her mind off of him as she looked at the lizard woman who turned a bright red color as she stared at the floor.

“Uh… w-why do you ask?” The doctor muttered in an embarrassed tone as she avoided eye contact with the human. Frisk observed the reaction and smiled slightly at Alphys as she did.

“I was just curious is all. I was looking at the pictures on the background of the computer as well as the ones on the side. You two look… happy together, but your personalities appear to be so different so I wasn’t sure.” Frisk replied as the grin stayed on her face, she continued to observe the lizard who wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“Well… n-n-no we aren’t. I don’t imagine Undyne would be into a worthless piece of garbage like myself… she’s awfully nice though.” Alphys replied with a dejected look on her face as she glanced off to the side. Frisk blinked her eyes at the response, not expecting her words at all. She hadn’t even realized Alphys felt that way about herself, she seemed so… excited about helping Frisk, and she seemed to be helpful so Frisk couldn’t comprehend why she would call herself garbage.

“Alphys! That’s a terrible thing to say!” Frisk snapped in an irritated voice as she looked at the monster who blinked her eyes in surprise. “You are definitely not worthless, and you are definitely not garbage! You’re important to at least one person whether you realize it or not.” Frisk approached the monster who took a step back and wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“F-Frisk… thanks but… there are things about me that if you knew… you would think I’m pretty bad too.” Alphys stuttered as she stared at the ground, her eyes taking on an almost haunted look. Her hands fidgeted even more as she spoke as she needed something to keep them busy, something to distract her mind.

“Try me. I don’t think there’s anything you could tell me that would make me think you are worthless or garbage.” Frisk spoke in a serious tone as she crossed her arms over her chest staring at Alphys now. The doctor gave a nervous chuckle and shook her head.

“I-I’d r-r-rather not talk about it Frisk…” Alphys spoke in a whisper as she turned away from the human. Frisk watched as Alphys hands shook slightly now in agitation as she tried to avoid the conversation. Frisk took a step forward to approach the doctor.

_“You’re probably better off not pressing her anymore Frisk. After all we’ll probably need her help to get through Hotland, and at this rate if you keep pushing she’s just going to clam up and not help at all.”_ Chara’s voice called out in the back of Frisk’s mind, the woman paused as her soul spoke. Taking a breath Frisk drew back for a moment considering what she could do for the doctor. Maybe trying to get a little bit out of Alphys at a time was better than pressing for it all at once from her.

“Alright Alphys, I’m sorry I’m upsetting you. We… we don’t have to talk about it. Just so you know though… if you ever need to get something off your chest I’m here, I promise I won’t judge.”Frisk spoke in a kind tone as she smiled gently at the doctor who glanced back over her shoulder with a surprised look before a small, sad smile took over the doctor’s face. “So then… you’re going to help me through Hotland right?” Frisk asked smiling patiently at the lizard woman who gave her head a nod.

“Y-yes. G-granted there should be an e-easier way to g-g-get through Hotland but… m-my robot, Mettaton, has shut down the elevators that lead to the castle s-s-so… you’ll have to take the long way through, and go through the C-C-CORE… I… I don’t know much about th-that area since it’s always changing.” Alphys admitted as she lowered her gaze in a dejected way.

“That’s okay, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s just worry about getting through the puzzles in Hotland, I’d appreciate the help.” Frisk asked with a smile. She realized that while she might not need the help, Alphys did. If she felt better about herself by guiding Frisk through Hotland, the woman wasn’t about to say no. Not to mention she might be able to learn more about Alphys this way.

“R-really? S-so you… really do want my help?” Alphys asked looking back at Frisk with a worried gaze, afraid that Frisk wasn’t serious. The human gave a slight laugh as she approached Alphys and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Of course, I assume that I’ll probably run into some pretty heated situations down here, and since you know Hotland so well I bet you’ll be a great help if I get into hot water…” Frisk giggled slightly to herself at the puns, she found herself wondering if Sans would have gotten a kick out of them too.

Alphys blinked her eyes at the human’s words before giving a slight groan as she ran her clawed hand over her face. “T-those were terrible…” She muttered quietly to Frisk as her shoulders slumped slightly. “J-just keep in mind… m-my robot Mettaton… h-he will be looking for you, and he is… that is I uh… had to program him to hunt down human souls for the k-k-king. S-so just keep an eye out for him. F-Follow me I’ll lead you to the back door that l-leads towards the H-Hotland puzzles.” Alphys said as she started walking forward while Frisk followed after her.

Once shown the way out Frisk looked to Alphys and smiled as they shook hands before she turned to make her way through Hotland. Once the door to the lab wooshed closed behind her, Frisk pulled the cell phone from her pocket and glanced down at it, her hands shaking slightly as she stared down at the object in her hands. Taking a deep breath she pulled open the text menu and began to type something.

*~*~*~*~*

Sans sat silently at a computer desk in the back of his room, a bottle of ketchup, half gone, sitting on one side of him, while a small mound of crumpled papers sat scattered on the floor near his desk. The light that filtered in through his single window doing little to brighten his mood as his white pupils stared blankly at the reports he had nabbed from Alphys about the poison. Sans tried to rack his brain for something… anything… that could be done. _“Heh… the apprentice to the great Dr. Gaster shouldn’t be stumped by something like magical poison…”_ Sans thought to himself as he gave a slightly humorless chuckle before leaning back in his chair staring at the notes he had made as well as the information Alphys had gathered.

The room itself was a literal disaster area, his bed unmade and the sheets, pillow and blanket forced into a pile in the middle of the mattress making it unusable. In front of his closet was a mound of either dirty or clean clothing, possibly both as the skeleton couldn’t remember at this point just WHAT was in the pile of clothing. In the corner to the left of the door sat a wooden crate filled with empty ketchup bottles spilling over the top of it and onto the floor. Mixed in with the bottles were more crumpled up papers that had managed to migrate their way over to the corner.

Sans gave a slight groan as he rested his mandible in his skeletal palm, his gaze never leaving the paper in front of him. _“I-I’m not sure there’s a-anything I c-can do about the poison Sans… it looks to be magic based but… there’s something else there too. It’s something… foreign. It’s like an attribute that monsters don’t normally have so I c-couldn’t tell you what it is, but I’m not getting a reaction from any chemical I try to mix with it. I-It’s like… the poison is just determined to keep spreading…”_ Sans recalled the conversation he had a couple days ago with Alphys when she had called him to let him know about her progress while Frisk continued to recover from her fight with Undyne.

“There’s… there’s got to be a way to stop it…” Sans muttered to himself as his pinprick gaze appeared to be trying to start the paper on fire. A faint knock on the door snapped the skeleton out of his thoughts as he looked over his shoulder.

“SANS? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? Y-YOU HAVEN’T… EXACTLY COME OUT OF YOUR ROOM FOR SEVERAL DAYS IT SEEMS.” Papyrus’s voice called through the door as he looked at it worriedly from the other side. He knew his brother had ventured out briefly once in a while but he had basically shut himself up in his room since coming home from helping the human.

“It’s alright bro. I’m fine, I just… I’m just trying to uh… solve a puzzle I guess.” Sans responded as he stared back at his paper. There was silence for a moment, but Sans didn’t hear Papyrus walk away so he assumed his bro was still standing at the door.

“MAY I COME IN BROTHER?” Papyrus’s tone was almost meek startling Sans out of his daze. His brother was hardly ever meek, causing Sans to wonder if he was that worried about him. Not to mention Papyrus hated coming into his room because of the constant state of disarray it was in.

“S-sure Paps. Come on in.” Sans replied standing to his feet as he tucked his hands into his pockets. Papyrus slowly opened the door as his worried gaze fell on his brother’s form. Papyrus bit back a sharp remark about the dark, tired looking magical circles that had formed under Sans’s eye sockets from lack of sleep as well as a remark about the excessive garbage scattered around his desk area where he stood.

“SANS I’M WORRIED ABOUT YOU. I KNOW THERE ARE THINGS YOU DO NOT SHARE WITH ME, ALTHOUGH I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL AND SOLVING PUZZLES IS MY MAGNIFICANT FORTE! SO IF IT IS A PUZZLE TROUBLING YOU I WOULD BE OF GREAT ASSISTANCE TO YOU!” Papyrus crossed his arms over his chest plate as he stood in the door way now. “BUT I FEEL AS IF THERE IS MORE TO THIS… FOR YOU SEE…T-THE ONLY OTHER TIME I RECALL YOU BEING THIS… PERSISTANT… ABOUT SOMETHING WAS WHEN-“ Sans quickly cut off his sentence knowing it was a painful memory especially for Papyrus.

“Aw Paps, I’m sorry bro. I… I know you are really good at solving puzzles but… ya see, I’m trying to help solve a puzzle to help the human and… I kind of wanted to do it on my own.” Sans cut in, he grinned at his brother brightly as he shrugged his shoulders. “I mean she already knows that you’re totally awesome at puzzles, but well I’m not quite as impressive as you are so I thought I’d give her a hand to show her that I’m pretty okay at solving them too.”

“BROTHER! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WANTED TO FRIENDZONE THE HUMAN?! I DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE YOU THOUGHT OF HER IN THAT WAY! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MOST DEFINITELY COULD HAVE ASSISTED IN HELPING YOU GET TO FIRST BASE WITH HER!” Papyrus exclaimed as he clapped his hands together looking at Sans with a bright grin, his previous worry all but forgotten at this new bit of information his brother had shared with him.

Sans blinked his eye sockets at his brother as a faint dusting of blue appeared on his cheek bones before he pulled his hood up over his head grinning in embarrassment. “P-Paps it’s not like that. Seriously bro… y-you got the wrong idea.” Sans pulled his hood down over his eye sockets as he gave a slight chuckle.

“NYEH HEH HEH!” Papyrus laughed as he draped his arm over Sans’s shoulder and grinned giving a wink of his eye socket at his older brother. “I DO NOT THINK I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM MISTAKEN BROTHER! I SEE YOU BLUSHING THERE!” Papyrus said lifting the hood of Sans’s jacket slightly up to reveal his brother’s still slightly blue face. “I DO NOT IMAGINE THOUGH, THAT THE HUMAN WOULD APPROVE OF YOU BEING SO DILIGENT THAT YOU MAKE YOURSELF… BONE TIRED!” Papyrus laughed as he stood up now and put his hands on his hips looking down at the shorter skeleton.

Sans chuckled as he ran a hand over one eye socket the other staring at his brother as he grinned. “Good one bro.” he said laughing as the blush faded from his cheekbones.

“I KNOW, I KNOW.” Papyrus waved his hand at his brother pretending to brush off the praise as he grinned happily. “YOU SHOULD COME DOWNSTAIRS AND EAT SOME SPAGETTI WITH ME SANS! THE PUZZLE WILL STILL BE HERE WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU’RE DONE, AND PERHAPS STEPPING AWAY FROM IT WILL HELP YOU OBTAIN A NEW PERSPECTIVE!”  Papyrus spoke as he wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulder again leading him towards the door.

Sans blinked his eye sockets as a troubled expression appeared on his face, and he resisted giving a slight sigh. Glancing back over his shoulder at the desk where the notes sat, Sans hesitated a moment causing Papyrus to pause as well. “SANS? COME ON BROTHER. A LITTLE BREAK WOULD BE GOOD… ALTHOUGH I’VE NEVER SEEN YOU QUITE SO SERIOUS ABOUT PUZZLES BEFORE. THIS HUMAN MUST BE SPECIAL IF YOU’RE BEING UNLAZY ABOUT PUZZLES.” Papyrus placed his hand thoughtfully on his mandible as he pondered the situation.

The shorter skeleton blinked at the comment before giving a slight chuckle. _“Yeah… she’s special… something about her just… gives me hope… it’s almost weird since I haven’t really felt that in a long time. Not since the second… no, the third human to fall into the Underground. If there’s hope for us… I want there to be hope for her too.”_ Sans lost himself in thought as Papyrus led him out of his room and onto the second floor landing.

A faint chime from his pocket alerted Sans to a text as he glanced down grabbing the phone from his pocket and pulling up the text. “Knock, Knock.” Sans’s boney brow furrowed in confusion as an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. Looking to his brother now who was looking down at him curiously Sans gave him a grin trying to brush off Paps’s worry.

“Alright, I’ll come down and eat something. Go ahead without me bro, I just need to take care of something real quick and I’ll be right down.” Sans nodded his head at Papyrus who shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the stairs. Sans looked hesitantly at the text again before responding. “Who’s there?”

A minute passed before another text alert chimed on his phone. “Ewe”

“Ewe who?”

“Thank Ewe for helping me get through Waterfall. I donut know what I would have done without Ewe. :)” Reading this, Sans gave a snort then laughed loudly at the text on his screen. Grinning as his gaze softened the skeleton felt a bit of tension ease from his shoulders. At least Frisk was alright for the time being.

“You’re berry welcome Sugar. Watch your step in Hotland, I heard tempers are at their boiling point there.” Sans replied to her text with a soft smile on his face as he stared at the number for the longest time before giving a sigh and adding the number to his contacts. Tucking the phone away in his pocket, the skeleton made his way downstairs to try to eat Papyrus’s cooking.

*~*~*~*~*

Frisk stared down at the screen as Sans’s response flashed across it. A gentle smile lifted the corner of Frisk’s mouth as she held the phone tightly for a moment before taking a deep breath and slipping it into the pocket of her shorts. “Time to go…” she whispered softly as her heart gave a nervous thud in her chest.

The woman had taken her first few steps into Hotland when she suddenly came to a halt staring in front of her. There, in the middle of the path, was the grinning yellow buttercup from the Ruins, she could see a evil glint in his beady eyes as she started at her, all the while his green stem swayed back and forth. “Y-you… Flowey.” Frisk spoke in hardly more than a whisper as she stared at the monster.

The buttercup eyed the lines that had spread across the human’s skin, indicating his poison was slowly sapping her of her strength and determination. After a moment he chuckled coldly as he smirked at Frisk. “You are an idiot. I hope you realize you’re making this WAY too easy for me to get back the power to control the timeline. Not that I’m complaining, I just thought you might be smarter than that.” Flowey continued to chuckle as he spoke while looking Frisk in the eye now.

“Why do you want that power back so badly? It has got to be terrible… replaying these monsters lives over and over again. Since you’ve willingly poisoned me… I assume you probably do worse to them. Then you choose to RESET everything… just to do it all over again?” Frisk asked as she drew up her determination. She didn’t want the buttercup to know that she was afraid of him, it seemed like it would be something he would feed off of.

“Hehehe! When you control their world they’re nothing more than characters in a game you play! I can do horrible things to them and just… RESET everything. Th-they don’t remember anything I’ve done… or said to them. H-hehehe! It’s great, you have all the time in the world to ‘experiment’ with other options… other paths…” Flowey’s grin widened demonically at his own words, although Frisk wasn’t completely oblivious to the odd tone his voice had taken on. It almost sounded like the flower was sad about the fact that no one remembered him.

 “Don’t you care what you’re doing to them? Doesn’t it bother you… even a little?” Frisk asked in a slightly frustrated tone, not understanding WHY Flowey could hurt other monsters without feeling any kind of guilt.

“No. Hehehe! That’s the plus side to not having a soul I guess, you aren’t weighed down by things like ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’. Haven’t you learned from the results of your own pity for them? If you care about someone or something… it will just hurt you in the end.” The evil glint faded slightly from Flowey’s gaze as he spoke the last bit quietly. His tone had been cocky and a bit sarcastic for the most part, but once he started talking about getting hurt it had softened a little.

_“He doesn’t have a soul? Then… how is he alive? There’s something more to this flower monster than he’s letting on… I feel like… like he needs help.”_ Frisk thought silently to herself as she stared at the monster. Flowey quickly snapped out of his thoughts returning to the present as the glint returned to his black gaze and he smirked at the human again.

“Hehehe! Well, idiot, don’t let me keep you! You have a long, dangerous journey through Hotland, and I would just HATE to hold you up! Hehehehehehehehe!” The flower cackled evilly as a thought entered his mind, he knew JUST the monster that could help him wear down the human’s determination. If he played his cards right, she would never get through Hotland.

“W-wait!” Frisk called out taking a step forward, however the buttercup disappeared into the ground and she was left staring at a small hole where he had just been. “Darn it… I doubt it’s the last time I’ll see him though.” Frisk muttered to herself before giving a soft sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back dear readers! I’m sorry about the wait, I was hoping to have this chapter up last week but I was very busy with some important IRL things and it couldn’t be helped. However in my absence I think I’ve figured out something I was struggling with in the later parts of this story, so let’s all just consider this wait a winning situation!  
> I kind of need to make this clear, from what I’ve seen of Alphys I feel like she would get a tad bit obsessive with the things that she ships, kind of like me except I’m not to quite the creepy level I don’t think. If anyone at all get’s the name of the file that was on her desktop you get a cookie! :)  
> I know the progress is slow right now, but the actual journey through Hotland has finally begun and I feel like things will be picking up. I just can’t bring myself to rush certain things in this story like character development and the budding relationship between the two main characters.  
> Also I definitely laughed at my own way I wrote Papyrus when he and Sans are talking about him liking Frisk. He’s such a cute, lovable dork!  
> Thanks as always for taking the time to read my story, to leave comments, and for the Kudos. It means a whole lot to me and I can’t thank you all enough!


	20. ALTERNATE Chapter 16

Frisk turned quickly so her back was to the door when Sans pushed it open slightly to make sure she was okay. She crossed her arms over her chest in order to protect what dignity the two would have left. “Are you okay I thought I heard something… break…” She heard the skeleton freeze in his words, she almost chuckled at the awkwardness that filled the air.

“Erm… I-I’m fine… I just knocked over a glass on the sink when you surprised me.” She spoke in a strained tone glancing over her shoulder at the skeleton trying to keep calm. Seeing the look of surprise on his face caused her to stifle a small laugh. His eye sockets had grown wide when he realized she had taken off her shirt. Taking less than a second to process the situation, Frisk saw his cheek bones flare a bright blue that he couldn’t hide before he closed the door not saying anything.

“W-well… if my fever wasn’t worse before it’s probably going to be now…” she muttered as her face managed to turn even redder than it was already. Giving a slight sigh, Frisk grabbed her shirt from the sink and started to put it on.

Sans stood behind the door he had closed quickly, staring at the ground as his whole body remained tense. It had been dead silent in there since he had gotten back about five minutes prior and Papyrus had told him Frisk was in the bathroom. Her being up and moving was enough to worry the skeleton since she had been unconscious for three days and had been running a pretty good fever the whole time. When he didn’t hear anything he became concerned, and he became even more worried when the sound of glass breaking and something hitting the ground with a hard thud could be heard.

It wasn’t until he had already opened the door part way that he heard Frisk tell him to stop and by that time it was too late to do anything as Sans found himself staring at her almost bare back as she shifted to cover herself. His brain froze as he took in the sight, before realizing what he was doing and abruptly turning to give Frisk some privacy. Still feeling tense he walked away from the door with his hands dug deeply into the pockets of his jacket as he flopped down onto the couch, feeling the heat still heavy on his cheek bones. Sans took in a shaky breath as he put his hand over the right side of his face.

“SANS IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?” Papyrus looked with concern at his brother who didn’t immediately respond to the question. “OH NO! HAS THE HUMAN FAINTED AGAIN?” Papyrus spoke in a panicked tone when Sans didn’t answer his question, turning to go to the bathroom door.

“Papyrus! She’s fine! J-just give her a minute!” Sans’s panicked sounding tone could be heard on the other side of the door. Frisk found herself giving a slight chuckle at that, apparently his reaction had concerned Papyrus enough he wanted to check in on her. Quickly pulling her shirt over her head Frisk approached the door.

“S-sorry. I’m alright. Although… I did just break a glass, i-if you could get me a dustpan or a garbage can I-I can clean it up.” Frisk said exiting the bathroom with a sheepish grin on her face. Papyrus shook his head at the human.

“I SHALL CLEAN IT UP HUMAN! YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTINUE ON YOUR JOURNEY!” Papyrus said as he brought Frisk back over to the couch forcing her to sit down on it before turning around and going to grab a garbage can to clean up the glass.

As Sans sat on the couch, his face still burning with embarrassment, he seemed to find his pink sneakers rather interesting to stare at. Frisk glanced over at him, still seeing the faint blush on his cheek bones before she stared down at her lap, fidgeting slightly with the healing charm on her neck. Her own cheeks still had a lingering blush, although it wasn’t quite as obvious.

“U-um… knock, knock…” Frisk said glancing over at Sans with a small smile on her face. The skeleton arched his eye socket as he looked at Frisk now.

“Who’s there?” He blinked his eyes at the woman as a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“Justin…”

“Justin who?”

“You closed the door Justin time.” Frisk finished trying to lighten up the awkwardness that surrounded them now. Sans laughed in spite of himself as he tilted sideways on the couch snickering slightly. Sitting up he looked with a wide grin at the woman now.

“Knock, Knock.” It was his turn now as he waited for Frisk.

“Who’s there?”

“…Blush.”

“Blush who?”

“Thanks, but I didn’t sneeze.” Sans replied grinning as he looked at Frisk. The woman covered her face with her hands as she laughed at the joke before glancing over at the skeleton out of the corner of her eyes. Shaking her head she grinned widely as she dropped her hands to her lap now.

“Are you up to eating Sugar? I think it might help with the fever if you eat something.” Sans said standing to his feet as he grabbed a bag he had abandoned on the kitchen table when he got back. Returning to the couch he held out the bag, which Frisk took gratefully. If he knew how much she had been ignoring the gnawing hunger in her stomach from the resets, Frisk had a feeling he’d be more than just irritated with her.

Opening the bag she couldn’t begin to describe the loud growl her stomach gave as she saw a big burger and a bag of fries sitting in the bottom of the bag. _“Take it slow, otherwise you’ll make yourself sick…”_ Frisk reminded herself fighting with the urge to just wolf down the food in front of her. Pausing as she reached her hand into the bag she saw something that caused her to arch her brow.

To Sans discomfort, instead of pulling out the food, first he saw her pull out a small ketchup bottle that was devoid of most of its contents. Her gaze shifted to him quizzically as she waited for an answer to her silent question. “Heh… oops. I got thirsty on the way back…” He ran a hand over the back of his skull. _“I meant to toss that, how’d I forget?”_ he mentally asked himself.

“You drank the whole thing? I mean… I know that for whatever reason you drink ketchup, I remember the last time we were at Grillby’s you took a couple drinks of it too, but…” Frisk paused realizing she was about to go off on a tangent, and her mind still felt groggy with the fever. She recalled what had just happened with Papyrus and decided to stop before she said something else she’d regret. “Well here then.” She shook her head slightly as she handed the skeleton the empty bottle for him to do something with.

Sans shrugged his shoulders as he took the condiment bottle from Frisk. “I’ve always drank ketchup from the bottle. You could say I relish the taste. I guess that mustard come off as strange to some people though. I mayo want to consider cutting back on how much I drink it.” He grinned looking to Frisk who had paused as she went to look into the bag again.

The woman’s eyes shifted from the bag up to the skeleton. He could see laughter in her eyes, finally breaking through the glossy, fever filled gaze that had been looking at him since he had entered the bathroom. Frisks laughter rang out so clearly and in such an almost carefree way that Sans couldn’t help but laugh as well as a warm feeling blossomed in his chest. Even he would admit the puns were terrible but at least they were able to get Frisk to laugh so hard she had tipped over onto the armrest of the couch now, small tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she tried to stop laughing long enough to breath.

The moment couldn’t last though, as the door behind the couch was slammed open and an irate groan could be heard. “Fucking unbelievable! As if doing my rounds in Hotland weren’t bad enough, now I have to come back to this pun bullshit!” A voice growled irritated behind them. It was amazing how quickly the air in the room went from carefree to tension filled in a matter of seconds. After hearing the voice Frisk suddenly bolted up, her back straight as a pole, as tension filled her posture now.

A worried look suddenly appeared on Frisks face as she recalled just who the voice belonged to. Of course, Undyne wouldn’t remember that she had previously killed both Frisk and Sans in her rage to get Frisk’s soul. The only thing she probably remembered was that both she and Sans had escaped from her unscathed several times. As Frisk gripped the bag with tense hands, the memory of her friend’s sacrifice flashed through her mind.

“Relax Angel… you’re safe… we’re safe…” Sans spoke in a soft undertone he didn’t want Undyne to hear before looking back nonchalantly at the fish monster who stomped into the house. “Aw come on Undyne. I just thought I butter lighten the human’s mood a little bit.” Sans snickered slightly, his gaze flicking back to see Frisk covering her mouth to stop a giggle.

Undyne gave another irate groan at him. She growled stomping past the skeleton to go into the area of the kitchen and get herself a glass of water to rehydrate herself after having to deal with going through Hotland. Frisk’s eyes widened as she realized she was seeing the monster for the first time without her armor, thanks to that she didn’t look nearly as intimidating as she had seemed while trying to chase them down.

Undyne had a tall slender build, sure there was muscle there but she wasn’t very big looking. Instead of her armor clad appearance Frisk had grown accustomed to, Undyne stood in front of her wearing a tight black tank top and a pair of faded blue jean like pants. Her brown boots reached just up to her calfs and reminded Frisk vaguely of military boots. She wore her long sleek red hair in its signature pony tail at the top of her head although a long tuft of bangs remained out covering her eyepatch. A seemingly permanent scowl graced her features as she chugged the water down aggressively.

“Whaddya lookin’ at punk?!” she growled at Frisk who she realized was staring at her. Frisk tensed again, but forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. It seemed Undyne’s tactics revolved around intimidation… and pointy objects, but even as intimidating as she was there had to be a good hearted monster in there.

“I… um… Thank you. For your help. I’m sure it’s been a pain having an unconscious human on your couch for the past three days. I appreciate what you’ve done for me.” Frisk drew on her determination to appear not as intimidated by Undyne as she felt. She was sure the gratitude would probably be brushed off, as she noticed it usually was, but words and actions tended to stay with people.

Undyne gave a snort as she crossed her arms over her chest glaring daggers at Frisk. “Yeah… well… don’t get used to it. Having constant house guests isn’t my thing, and since HE wouldn’t leave,” she shifted her glare to Sans, who was still leaning back on the couch as he stared calmly back at her, “His brother’s been here almost the whole time as well.” Undyne glared over into the bathroom as Papyrus walked out carrying the garbage can. Frisk noticed the tone in her voice though, she didn’t seem too irritated about the whole thing.

“Heh, I don’t expect you’ll help us out again. What you’ve done is more than enough and I’ll make sure I return the favor someday.” Frisk chuckled slightly as she still smiled calmly at the monster who just rolled her eyes at the cheesy remark.

“You’re a real piece of work, punk. Goin’ around being all nice and stuff. It’s going to come back to bite you in the ass in the end.” Undyne warned as her gaze softened ever so slightly from the deathly, murdery glare, to a normal glare.

“Well… maybe so…” Frisk wouldn’t lie that sparing the monsters was starting to wear on her. She still smiled though despite the fact that she was exhausting herself. “I still think it’s better than the alternative option though.” She shrugged her shoulders slightly feeling a bit more positive than she had been. Coming from Undyne, it sounded almost like an attempt at being concerned.

“How the hell do you plan to beat Asgore with your goody-two-shoes bullshit?! Ya might as well just be sentencing yourself to death like the other stupid humans that fell down here! I sure as hell could have taken care of that if that’s what you wanted!” Undyne roared suddenly as she clenched her fists in front of her out of frustration. She couldn’t grasp what the human was trying to accomplish by just walking up to Asgore and trying to befriend him. The king wanted to break the barrier, and while he wasn’t much for fighting or hurting others, he had made a vow to the monsters that they would see the surface world again. The human didn’t stand a chance if she was the key to that promise.

“UNDYNE! YELLING IS NO WAY TO MAKE A HOUSE GUEST FEEL WELCOMED! DO WE NEED TO GO OVER THE HOUSE GUEST INTRODUCTION MANUAL AGAIN!?” Papyrus spoke as he put his hands on his hips looking at his mentor with an arched eye socket. Undyne shifted her glare to the skeleton that stood in her kitchen. It was a good thing he had grown on her with his stupid fighting spirit and stupid personality or she would have started throwing spears at him even with the threat of Sans still in her house.

Frisk flinched slightly at the volume of the two voices that spoke, her head throbbed with a faint lingering headache. Frisk gave a weak cough but gathered up her determination as she started to force herself t o her feet. “Sugar…” Sans spoke in a soft tone laced with worry. He knew she shouldn’t be over exerting herself until she had at least eaten something. The last time she had any food in her was right before they left Snowdin. Now with Sans being a skeleton he didn’t really NEED to eat but with Frisk it was different. Frisk ignored his worry for now though feeling as though this needed to be said.

“Because fighting… and death… those are the easy ways out. Sure it might exhaust your body to fight, and death might seem like a fitting punishment and end, and neither of them are exactly easy to do but… what happens to your soul when you start fighting and killing just to get to an easy end?” Frisk replied recalling how she felt that she could have easily taken care of Undyne when she used Chara’s energy to protect her from Sans’s attack. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not close to perfect. I’ve lost my temper plenty in the past and I’m not exactly innocent but… I have been given a chance here to do the right thing. A chance to prove that humanity hasn’t lost its love and compassion even though we did screw up. If I break down and fight just to get past Asgore and to the barrier it’s not going to prove anything, I’ll just be following in the footsteps of the past.” Frisk’s tone was soft as she looked at the monster with a serious look.

Frisk wasn’t really a deep person despite her words. However she believed what she had said with all her heart and soul especially after meeting Toriel, and Papyrus, even Undyne… and of course Sans. She even believed that little demon flower, Flowey had some good… deep, deep down inside. Despite everything her world had taught her about monsters, Frisk couldn’t bring herself to hurt or hate them when she could tell that they really were good. “I… suppose that probably still doesn’t make much sense to you. However as I said to you in Hotland… you have a good reason for chasing me around even if I don’t agree about how you’re doing it. Your fighting spirit is something I’ve noticed a lot of monsters look up to you for.” She looked down at the bag in her hands fidgeting with it slightly as she tried to make the fish monster understand.

Undyne’s gaze softened a little more as she remembered something from her past. The look of recollection that entered her gaze lasted a moment before she returned to the present. Smirking slightly as she gave a slight laugh under her breath the fish shook her head slightly. “Well… I guess that’s one way to see it… you… remind me a lot of my mentor.” Frisk glanced up looking at Undyne curiously. “You’re both dumbasses who refuse to fight. It’s going to get you both killed someday.” She said bluntly to the woman’s curious stare.

Frisk gave a slight laugh at the comment and shrugged her shoulders. Undyne might be right about her being a bit dumb, but Frisk wasn’t about to give up her hope that she could do this peacefully. Undyne gave a slight sigh and shook her head.

“Well… maybe, with your determination and a lot of fucking luck… you can talk Asgore out of trying to kill you. That and I guess you have someone pretty capable of defending you, I doubt he’s going to leave you on your own anytime soon considering it took almost three damn days for me and Papyrus to get him to leave your side just long enough to get some food.” Undyne gave a pointed glare at Sans again. “I can’t believe I had to go to Hotland just to convince you I wouldn’t murder the punk in her sleep…” The fish monster growled as she crossed her hands over her chest again.

Frisk blinked her eyes before glancing over to Sans who wouldn’t meet her gaze as he stared hard at the wall across the room. She looked back at Undyne with a smile. “Yeah… I’ve got a pretty good friend in Sans. I’m very lucky he’s decided to help me out.”  Frisk acknowledged, trying not to giggle as she saw him blush at the praise out of the corner of her eye.

Undyne blinked her eye at the woman and arched her brow before bursting into laughter at the human for a moment. “Heh… that’s funny…” she snickered as she cast an odd look between Frisk and Sans, causing the skeleton to  narrow his gaze at her, before she gave her head a slight shake. “Here I thought Papyrus was dense…” the fish monster muttered the last part under her breath. “You should probably eat that garbage before it gets cold…” Undyne cast a distasteful gaze at the bag, ignoring the obviously confused look that Frisk gave her. Frisk nodded her head, hesitantly making her way to the kitchen table now.

The food didn’t stand a chance as Frisk tried her best not to inhale it as quickly as possible and make herself sick. It didn’t take long for her to lean back in the chair and give a content sigh as her stomach finally felt the fullest it had in what seemed like weeks. “I think I need to eat more often…” she commented softly to herself as she stared at the now empty bag in front of her.

“I was thinkin’ that same thing. So this time we’re prepared for that. It’s not actual meals, but I got some snacks that should at least keep up your strength for the trip through Hotland.” Sans was suddenly next to the table as he leaned on his elbow looking at the woman now who blinked her still tired gaze at him.

Sans produced another bag Frisk hadn’t seen and handed it to the woman who opened it curiously. A slightly familiar smell wafted from the bag as a slight smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “That… that smells like the cinnamon bunnies from the Inn in Snowdin…” she said looking at a rectangular white box that rested in the bottom of the bag. Resisting the urge to open the lid and eat what was in there as her stomach still growled a bit hungrily at her, Frisk looked to Sans who gave a slight nod.

“Exactly right, Sugar. Those things are good for a temporary boost in energy. They obviously can’t take the place of an actual meal but… hopefully it’ll still help.” He took the bag back and tucked it into a pocket in the inside side of his jacket. Pausing he looked at the woman, he could tell she wasn’t a hundred percent healed but he had a feeling they were just running against an internal clock right now thanks to the poison that was spreading through Frisk. “Are you ready?”

Frisk took a deep breath at the question. Ready or not it didn’t matter, they needed to continue on to King Asgore before the poison could do any more damage to her. A small smile was given as Frisk nodded her head. “I think… it’s time to go. I can’t stay here any longer.” The woman replied as she forced herself to her feet.

Undyne and Papyrus had long since moved over to the kitchen where a cooking lesson between the two was taking place. Upon hearing the scrap of her chair against the floor, Undyne turned to look at the two and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at them. “Are you two finally going to get the hell out of my house?” she asked bluntly with a frown.

Frisk regarded the fish woman with a warm gaze and nodded her head as she smiled slightly. “Yes, I’ve got to keep going. Thank you again for letting us rest up. I hope I haven’t been too much of a burden on you.”

Undyne narrowed her gaze at the words that were spoken before giving a slight growl. She wasn’t sure how to react to Frisk’s kindness. Her instinct was still to mock and ridicule the woman, but her heart didn’t feel like it would be in it if she did. “Just… do me a favor. If your kindness somehow manages to get you to Asgore… don’t kill him… or I’ll hunt your ass down and make sure you regret it.” Undyne huffed slightly before turning her back on them.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to do this without hurting him. I promise.” Frisk smiled determinedly at Undyne before turning to head to the door, pausing when Sans grabbed her wrist gently. She looked back at the skeleton with a confused gaze as he released his hold on her.

“Walking all the way through Waterfall again is going to take too long Angel. It might be better if I try bringing you with through one of my short cuts. It won’t be too different from the last time you traveled magically… I’m just hoping you don’t get sick.” Sans extended his hand hoping the woman would take him up on the offer, unless she’d rather waste time trying to traverse through Waterfall again.

Frisk considered the options before giving a slightly nervous sigh and putting her hand in Sans’s feeling herself pulled towards the skeleton. She gasped as a veil of blue magic wrapped around them obscuring her vision. Then she snapped her eyes closed as the sensation of being pulled downwards engulfed her. She felt her feet dangling in the air as if there was nothing below her now, making the feeling of being pulled down feel like she was almost falling.

Frisks natural reaction was to grab something to hold on to in order to keep herself from falling, the only thing within reach was Sans. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around his rib cage, and buried her face into the shoulder of his jacket, holding on for dear life as she felt her stomach lurch in agitation at the now floating sensation that had replaced the downward sensation from before.

After what was only a minute, but what felt like a couple of hours Frisk felt solid ground beneath her feet again. The warm air that surrounded them engulfed her, and blinking her eyes open as she lifted her head up, she saw the red hot glow that filled this area of the Underground around them. Frisk finally realized that her legs felt steady against the ground before she froze, realizing something else as well.

Unconsciously, Sans had wrapped his own arms around the woman out of reaction to her discomfort when she had grabbed him for support while teleporting to Hotland. Now that she had figured out just where they were, Frisk quickly became aware that her body was pressed up closely against the skeletons as they stood where they had landed.

Dead silence passed between the two as Frisk shifted her head to look at the skeleton now. Her heart hammered loudly in her ears and chest as her gaze drifted to his. She silently hoped that he couldn’t feel the way it was thudding against her ribcage. _“It’s just from not being used to teleporting… that’s got to be why.”_ Frisk tried to rationalize the reaction her heart had to the situation.

 _“Tch… yeah, right! I’m sure that’s EXACTLY what it is…”_ Chara’s voice sarcastically invaded her thoughts. Frisk couldn’t give her a mental response as her brown gaze stared wide eyed at Sans now. His expression was a bit dazed as he stood still, trying to process the situation in his mind but finding he was unable to. His eye sockets appeared to soften as he stared at the woman, still in a daze, as he continued to hold her against him.

Frisk noticed his left pupil had a very faint purple aura surrounding it much like his blue magic usually did when he was angry or using his attacks. The different color made Frisk feel calm and safe as her surprise ebbed away and a small smile appeared on her lips as her eyes stared softly at him now. A warm feeling spread through her chest, soothing her tired soul as they stood there. If a monster were to, by chance, walk by and see the moment it wouldn’t have been strange if they had thought the two were a couple as they stood in each other’s embrace.

Suddenly the moment passed as Sans blinked his eye sockets, snapping out of his daze as the purple aura disappeared and his pupil became white again. Realizing just how close he was holding Frisk to him, a heavy bright blue blush suddenly flared on his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, as nervous sweat beaded his forehead. Sans resisted the urge to recoil away from the human and the situation only because he wasn’t sure if Frisk had her footing yet.

“You… uh… got your footing there Sugar? I know sometimes recovering from teleportation can be a feet in itself. I’d hate to feel like a heel and let you go when you don’t have a foothold yet.” Sans managed to concentrate what was left of his scattered wit as he did the only thing he could think of in a situation like this. He felt Frisks body shake as she laughed giving him a bright grin as she loosened her hold on his ribcage.

“Yes, I’m good.” She replied in a soft tone taking a step back away from Sans, before turning to look around to get her bearings. She had figured out that he didn’t like her to see him flustered like that, so she decided to give him a minute to compose himself. Frisk quickly realized they were just past the bridge where Undyne had collapsed. “Where should we go now?” The woman asked loudly to the skeleton behind her.

When Frisk had turned away to look around, Sans let out a muted sigh as he reflected on what had just happened. To his surprise his mind had actually gone blank while he had been trying to process what was going on when they appeared in Hotland. That rarely happened to the skeleton, where he wasn’t at least somewhat aware of what was going on around him. _“Angel… what do you do to me? My mind never goes blank like that…”_ he found himself pondering silently as he ran his bony hand over the right side of his face.

“Sans?” Frisk’s voice cut through his internal musings as the skeleton looked up at her. “S-sorry… I was just wondering where to go next.” Frisk realized he had been thinking about something and suddenly felt bad about bothering him.

“Oh… right.” Sans chuckled slightly as he ran his hand over the back of his skull, realizing that Frisk wasn’t familiar with Hotland at all. “Come on, we’re actually going to make a short pit stop. Alphys lives here in Hotland.” Sans replied as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat again.

As they walked, the skeleton cast a confused glance at two black armor clad Royal Guards who stood guarding the path that led to the elevators before he kept walking to a path that went west. Frisk followed after as her eyes widened when the sight of a large metal building met her view. The word LAB was in large red letters over what looked to be a sliding door as there were no handles on the door anywhere.

“Stay behind me for now.” Sans said glancing back at Frisk who nodded her head as the metal doors slid open for the two. He wasn’t sure what was up with Alphys’s robot but he didn’t want to chance Frisk getting hurt.

As the two cautiously entered the big metal building, Frisk saw the walls were a gray metal color as well, and the floors were a blue tile. They had entered into a long dark hallway where it was hard to see more than a couple feet in front of them causing Sans to produce a blue flame in his palm to light the way. The hallway suddenly opened up into a larger room; the two came to a stop in front of a monitor that showed video footage of the two of them looking at the monitor.

A confused look flashed across Frisk’s face as she realized that someone had been watching them. Glancing over to Sans she saw a look of confusion on his face as well. “What the hell Alphys?” he muttered in a low tone before looking around the lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! Here is another piece of the alternate chapters I had typed up. I hope you all enjoyed my alternate Chapter 16, where there’s puns jokes and a hint of romance(just a pinch ;) ) There’s really not too much more for me to say, except that as I was ending this chapter is when I really started to worry that I was beginning to focus just on Sans’s and Frisk’s relationship and drift away from the story. As much as I loved this chapter, and I still do, I just didn’t think it was heading in the right direction that I was looking for.  
> I hope you all enjoyed the alternate chapter. I’m hoping to have the next chapter of the actual story ready, at the very longest, in two weeks. However it’s all dependent on work and if I can focus on the story on my time off.  
> Please keep in mind this story is far from over, even if it takes me some time to post chapters. I have an idea that’s too good for me to pass up for this story, but I also have some ideas floating around for other stories as well. *coughcoughImaybeworkingonsaidstoriesrightnowcoughcough*  
> Thank you guys as always for taking the time to read my stuff, and for commenting, giving me kudos and supporting me! I can’t thank anyone enough that take the time to read something that I’ve wrote.


	21. Chapter 18

Frisk continued on her way through the area called Hotland at a quick pace. The human was well aware that she had no time to waste on her journey, and without having someone physically there to help her she wasn’t sure how quick things would go. _“You made it to Snowdin just fine on your own. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to handle Hotland just fine.”_ Chara’s voice spoke to her in the back of her mind.

“Yeah. It was a struggle though, and the poison wasn’t as strong then. I don’t know if you can feel it but to me it feels like it drains my body of energy really quickly. I think Flowey’s hoping I use enough of my soul energy that I can’t break the barrier, or that I get to the point that I’m too exhausted to get to Asgore.” Frisk replied quietly as she continued looking at the path ahead of her, sweat beading her forehead slightly as she went.

A short while later the woman came to a stop as she looked at the path in front of her with a quizzical stare. It appeared impassable as the road in front of her that led forward was broken up into small islands. On each island was a steam vent that shot powerful bursts of air into the sky above her head. Frisk looked around, searching for something that would help her cross through the area. The islands were too far apart to jump to by normal means, so she needed something to use as a bridge.

A loud musical ringtone came from her pocket as she looked down in surprise before pulling her new phone from her pocket. On the touch screen flashed the name “Alphys” in bold pink lettering. Blinking her eyes, Frisk swiped the answer icon upwards putting the phone to her ear now. “Hello?” her gentle tone answered the monster on the other end.

“H-hi Frisk!” Alphys shrill voice loudly answered the greeting in a nervous tone. The woman flinched slightly as she pulled the phone away from her ear in irritation. The lizard woman saw the reaction on her monitor she was using to watch Frisk and quickly silenced herself. “A-ah, I’m s-sorry. N-nerves got the better of me. A-anyways, you look confused about the path in front of you.” Alphys quickly jumped onto the next subject not wanting to dwell on her screw up.

“Yeah. The path doesn’t exactly look passable. Is there another way I can go that I overlooked?” Frisk asked as she stared at the islands again in confusion.

“U-um, w-we installed the vents to be a-able to pass through parts of H-Hotland that were broken up like this. Building materials were sparse in this area w-when we first settled here, and wood doesn’t last very long t-thanks to the heat, s-so we had to make do with w-what we could.” Alphys replied to the human’s question.

“So you’re saying to use the vents?” Frisk’s gaze shifted sideways towards the voice on the other end of the phone. “Um… don’t the vents expel hot air though? I don’t know about monster skin but human skin doesn’t do to well in extreme heat like that.” The woman argued in a slightly frustrated tone.

“Ah… um… w-well, the v-vents are expelling s-steam from t-the Core. Its magical steam so it’s n-not h-hot like normal steam would be, you w-won’t be burned!” Alphys explained in a shrill nervous tone as she drummed her fingers on the desk beneath her monitor as her anxiety began to get the better of her.

“Oh, that’s different then. So what about landings? If I use the vents to launch myself into the air I still need to worry about landing on the islands and not, you know, falling into the lava.” Frisk replied in a calm tone once more. She could hear the nervousness creeping into Alphys tone and had to remind herself the doctor was trying to help her as best she could.

“T-the v-vents are programmed to r-release steam based on the weight of the o-object on them. So once you step on them they’ll calculate h-how much steam to expel based on your weight. By doing th-that you won’t o-overshoot the islands. A-as f-f-for landing, well… you’ll just h-have to try r-really hard to land on your feet. There’s n-no e-easy way for you to land, monsters are just naturally agile s-so we don’t h-have an issue l-landing.” As the lizard woman began explaining the way the vents worked a spark of excitement filled her tone calming her worries for the moment before fading as she tried to think of a way to make the landings easier for Frisk but couldn’t think of anything.

“Great. I’ve never been the most agile or graceful person so… this is going to be rough. I think I can manage though.” Frisk bit her lower lip slightly out of nervousness. As long as she didn’t stumble and fall off of the islands she would be alright. “Thanks for the help Alphys, and for keeping an eye out for me. I know I’ll get through this with your help.” The woman smiled slightly knowing that Alphys could see her. “Talk to you soon.” She hung up the phone and took a deep breath looking at the vents in front of her now.

After a little bit of mental preparation and gathering her determination and courage Frisk stepped forward onto the vent in front of her. The sound of gears whirring and metal clunking against metal could be heard as well as the faint sound of steam filling an unseen pocket beneath her feet. The woman clenched her fists nervously as she shifted her weight and position so she could be launched up at an angle instead of straight up.

Frisk gave a loud gasp as she heard the loud clunk of the steam releasing below her and felt a sudden burst of air below her feet. Giving a panicked scream the woman found herself in the air being launched towards the island in front of her. She wasn’t ready for the landing and fell down with a loud thud on her hands and knees, gasping slightly from shock.

Standing to her feet as she panted slightly, Frisk flinched as the skin on her palms and knees burned from being scraped against the rocky ground. Looking at herself, she saw they were just scraped up and not bleeding. “Okay… okay. The first vent is down, not too bad of an attempt. I need to be better at the landings though or I’m going to get pretty beat up.” Frisk tried to give herself a little bit of a pep talk as she stared at the vent on the ground in front of her now. “I… I really hope there aren’t too many of these vent areas…” the woman muttered slightly under her breath as she approached the next vent.

A short time later Frisk finally found herself on the other side of the first vent area, and in pretty good shape as well. She did miss the second landing a little but managed to stop herself from landing on her hands and knees as she fell back on her butt instead. The third landing was a little better, and finally on the other side of the area she had managed to keep her footing. “Okay. That… that went pretty well. I think I can do this again if I need to. I need to be quicker from now on though.” Frisk said in a breathless tone as she glanced back at the vent puzzle for a moment before giving a slight sigh of relief and making her way forward, heading deeper into the Hotland area.

~*~*~*~

Frisk made her way onward at a steady pace. She found there were more steam vent puzzles than she wanted to see but managed to make her way through them without too much of an issue. Although thanks to her less than graceful landings the woman was a little beat up, both her palms were scraped up almost to the point of bleeding and her capris had begun to tear at the knees where she was landing. Her butt and lower back were probably pretty bruised as well.

In between the various steam puzzles were the laser puzzles, which were a bit more complicated. The lasers were blue and orange meaning she had to be moving for some of them and still for the others. Some of the laser’s were pretty much impossible to pass by, but thanks to Alphys hacking abilities she managed to beat them and continue on her way.

As Frisk had made her way through one of the steam vent puzzles the woman had seen something glinting on one of the far islands. While it was a little bit of detour and an unnecessary couple of vent launches, Frisk couldn’t help her curiosity and was rewarded for it. The object that had been glinting off in the distance was an old frying pan that was charred but otherwise looked alright. She used the faded ribbon she had gotten from the Ruins long ago to fashion a holder at her hip for the frying pan, deciding that it would be a good idea for her to take it with her as it would make a good defensive weapon to hopefully deflect monster attacks.

Frisk was currently sitting on the ground with her hand draped across her knee as she took a short break. The heat of Hotland was starting to get to the woman, making it hard for her to breathe. Sweat was beading her forehead heavily as she brushed it off on her hand as she looked around. Enduring the cold of Snowdin and then having to endure this heat was starting to kind of take its toll on Frisk. “Thankfully I had a break between the two by trekking through Waterfall. That’s a positive I guess.” Frisk spoke quietly to herself as she struggled to stand.

The poison that was spreading through her body was slowly sapping her strength again and the fever that lingered from it was starting to come back, making the heat of Hotland feel worse. The effect of Alphys medication that she had given her didn’t seem to last nearly long enough. Although grateful for the four pills that the doctor had given her, Frisk wanted to use them sparingly because when she was out she would have to manage with the fever on her own since once she was through Hotland there would really be no way for her to get anymore.

Inhaling deeply Frisk walked forward towards another set of steam vents. Running her fingers unconsciously over the healing charm she wore, Frisk stared ahead past the vents. A big building seemed to loom a short ways from the opposite side of the gap. “What is that? It’s freaking huge…” she muttered to herself as she stepped forward onto the first vent to launch herself forward.

A few minutes later Frisk arrived on the other side with a thud as she landed in the crouched position. Standing up, the woman stared with a wide gaze at the building that towered over her now. It looked like a giant metal cube, but even for that it was pretty impressive, it also appeared that the only way to continue through Hotland was to pass through the building. Frisk couldn’t just run in blind however, that would be stupid on her part. She slipped her phone from the pocket of her capris and searched through her contacts before hitting the call icon on the screen.

~*~*~*~

Alphys had left the monitor for a moment to take care of something in her lab when the theme song from Mew Mew Kissy Cutie began to play from the pocket of her lab coat. Jumping in surprise from the noise the lizard woman quickly dug her clawed hand into the pocket and pulled her phone out to see Frisk’s name flashing on her screen. Feeling her heartbeat quicken in nervousness, Alphys hit the answer button with a shaking claw. “Konnichiwa, e-er h-hello?” the monster quickly corrected herself.

“Hi Alphys. I’ve got a question for you if you’re in front of your monitor.” Frisk’s calm voice spoke on the other end, a hint of confusion could be heard in her tone. Alphys began picking up the pace as she made her way back into the living room part of the lab.

“I-I had to step away for a moment but I’m heading back right now! J-just give me a second.” The doctor replied in a rushed, almost panicked tone as she moved quickly to be back in front of the monitor to see where Frisk now was. She tried to come to a stop in front of the monitor, but her clawed feet sent her sliding on her metal floor. “O-oh nooooo!” the lizard woman yelped loudly as she slid into a pile of boxes filled with research materials stacked against the wall.

Frisk pulled the phone away from her ear slightly as she heard a loud crash followed by a groan of pain. The woman gave a small gasp as she brought the phone back to her ear. “A-Alphys? Are you okay?” she asked in a slightly panicked tone. “Alphys?!” the worry increased when the doctor didn’t respond right away.

“I-I’m fine… it’s a-alright… ouch…” Alphys replied panting slightly as she struggled to free herself from the boxes that had fallen on her. Giving a slight groan as she freed herself from the boxes she adjusted her glasses on her nose and stood to her feet walking forward towards the monitor. Blinking her eyes Alphys looked at the monitor which displayed where Frisk was currently. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the building Frisk was standing in front of “Oh…” the lizard woman muttered in a slightly strained tone.

“That didn’t sound like a good ‘oh’.” Frisk commented in a slightly weary voice as she looked at the building. “What’s the deal with this building Alphys? It looks like the only way to keep going through Hotland but it doesn’t seem smart to just run right in.”

“U-um… th-that’s one of M-Mettaton’s TV studios. B-because he was originally built to be an e-entertainer robot, Mettaton has a few d-different TV s-studios in Hotland where he films his shows.” Alphys explained nervously as she drummed her clawed fingers against her computer desk.

“Oh… that’s great. Is there any way you can check and see if he’s waiting in there for me? I’m assuming he probably is and… I don’t know what to do about him…” the mental exhaustion of the journey was starting to wear on the woman as she paced back and forth nervously in front of the building now. The skeleton brothers had been easy, she just needed to complete the puzzles they gave her; Undyne had been a little more difficult, and probably would have been a lot more trouble if not for Sans’s help. Trying to get past Mettaton on her own though seemed very daunting to Frisk as she found herself wondering just how many times the timeline would be reset.

“Um… I th-thought of that too, s-so I added a few ‘m-modifications’ to your phone when I was programming it. I-I know that I’m not S-Sans and I’m sorry I wouldn’t come with you, b-but I’ll help you out the best I can, I p-promise.” Alphys replied to the uncertainty in the woman’s voice as her clawed fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard in front of her trying to pull up video feed of the inside of the building.

Alphys gave a small, triumphant grin as she hacked into the cameras in the building. Scanning the area she saw everything was pitch black, which caused a puzzled look to cross her face. “This is weird…” the doctor muttered in a low undertone as she pulled up information about the building onto her computer. “Let me try hacking the light system.” She wasn’t aware that she was talking out loud which was confusing Frisk, who shifted her gaze to the building again with a confused stare.

About 15 minutes had passed with Frisk standing there while Alphys muttered mostly to herself as she tried to hack various systems within the building. “Hmm… th-this is weird it says the light system is on and not detecting anyone inside with its m-motion sensors. I-it doesn’t a-appear that Mettaton is actually in there. So y-you should be good to go through. The layout shows if you enter the door on this side and just walk straight through, you’ll cross the stage and be at the exit to the other side.” Alphys finally spoke directly to Frisk as she sat back in her computer chair looking at the screen.

“Alright… I guess it’s time to go in then.” Frisk took a breath trying to calm her nerves as she drew on her determination in her soul again. “I’m going to hang up now. Will you make sure to keep an eye on me? This feels almost too easy to me.” The woman spoke in a nervous tone as she finally approached the door of the building in front of her.

“Yeah! D-Don’t worry I’ll s-send in my camera bot so that I can see everything in case you need help. J-just b-b-be careful, okay Frisk?” the lizard woman replied nervously at the end as she watched the human on the monitor in front of her. She saw the faint nod before Frisk hung up the phone; she didn’t want Alphys to hear the nervousness in her voice.

The door in front of the woman automatically opened as she approached it slowly. Peering inside with her wide chocolate colored gaze, Frisk saw nothing but darkness before her. Taking a deep breath the woman made her way inside, flinching slightly as the door closed loudly behind her. The darkness pressed against her eyes as she moved forward through the building, her soft footsteps echoing against the tile floor beneath her feet.

She felt a chill of awareness crawl down her spine, and realized that she was not alone in this place. _“It’s a trap isn’t it?”_ Frisk thought silently to herself as she gritted her teeth, fearful to continue onwards but knowing it was too late and she couldn’t turn back.

As she made her way forward, Frisk heard the sound of her steps change, glancing down in the darkness she could just barely make out that the tile had changed to something that looked similar to wood. _“I wonder if this is the stage… I must be close to the other side now.”_ The woman thought silently to herself as she looked back up now.

“Hohohoho…” a faint laugh came from in front of the woman causing her to pause as her eyes widened. “Darling!” a robotic male sounding voice boomed out from the darkness. At the sound of the voice the lights in the building came on, temporarily blinding Frisk who had just gotten used to the darkness.

Giving a gasp as she shielded her eyes from the bright light, Frisk could see a blurry figure standing on the stage in front of her now. “I’ve been expecting you for quite some time! Don’t you know it’s rude to keep a star waiting?! Not to mention the audience as well!” the voice spoke again as the blurry figure shift to stand in a different position. “Now then, let’s get this show started Darling!”

“W-what?” Frisk asked in a confused tone as she squinted her eyes trying to get a look at who was talking to her. As her vision started to return her brown gaze widened as she stared at the monster in front of her.

~*~*~*~

Relaxing on the couch after a busy night of cooking spaghetti and putting up with his brother’s ridiculous puns during dinner, Papyrus was watching a rerun of his favorite Underground star’s program. For a while now on the daily update show, Mettaton had been promising something new and exciting with an ultra special guest coming soon for his lovely audience. The patient skeleton had been tuning in daily to see if the new show featuring Mettaton and the guest had started yet.

As he sat watching the rerun of one of the robots cooking shows the screen suddenly flickered and a still image saying please stay tuned was shown on the TV. Papyrus sat up straight as his whole body tensed in anticipation. “IS IT FINALLY HERE?!” he spoke excitedly in a squeaky voice as he stared with intent eye sockets at the TV screen.

“Ladies and Gentlemonsters!” a robotic male voice boomed loudly from the TV. “MTTV is proud to announce the new, most anticipated show in the entire Underground! Super Mettaton EX VS The Human! This new action reality show starring the Underground’s favorite TV star with a BRAND, NEW, EXCITING, THRILLING, FANTASTIC FORM!” as the announcer spoke, a small spinning image grew bigger before filling the screen showing a tall humanoid robot with shoulder length black “hair”; a broad, bright pink chest with black shoulder pads attached to it; a pair of shiny black pants that were tucked into a pair of pink heeled boots that came up to the calves of the legs. Mettaton’s main body was a sleek silver color while one handsome black eye stared out at his viewers and a smirk lifted the robots mouth upwards in to a confident yet charming smile.

Upon seeing the robots new form, Papyrus let out a squeal of excitement as his eye sockets stared widely at the robot. “Will the brave hero of the Underground, Super Mettaton EX, be able to extract the final human soul and free all of the monsters that have been such wonderful fans? OF COURSE HE WILL! Stay tuned for the special live series and watch how it all unfolds!” The announcer said with an air of confidence in his robotic tone. Papyrus excitedly clapped his gloved hands together as he stared with a child like gaze at the screen now.

“OH MY GOSH! FINALLY, MY DILIGENTS HAS PAID OFF AND I SHALL GET TO SEE METTATON’S NEW LIVE SHOW! I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE HIM FACE OFF AGAINST THE EVIL HUMAN! ALTHOUGH… I THOUGHT THERE WAS ONLY ONE DOWN HERE… BUT CLEARLY THERE MUST BE ANOTHER, AN EVIL ONE THAT IS NOT FRIENDS WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” Papyrus excitedly jumped off the couch to his feet as he continued to stare at the TV screen. Glancing upwards towards his brother’s room the skeleton fell into a mental debate with himself. Sans had long since returned to his room after eating the dinner Papyrus had lovingly crafted for them. The taller skeleton was worried his brother would return to his intense focus on the puzzle he was trying to work out for Frisk, and become obsessed with solving it once more.

Giving a slight huff, Papyrus appeared to come to a decision as he made his way upstairs and knocked loudly on Sans’s door. “BROTHER! YOU SHOULD JOIN ME AND SEE METTATON’S NEW LIVE SHOW! I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, AND SUPPOSIBLY IT INCLUDES THE APPEARANCE OF A HUMAN! I CANNOT IMAGINE ANOTHER HUMAN WOULD HAVE SLIPPED BY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT IT MUST BE TRUE!” Papyrus spoke excitedly through the door as a gloved hand hesitated by the handle.

Sans had effectively given up trying to get results from the materials for the night. His mind kept drifting from his work to the woman that was probably making her way through Hotland. There hadn’t been a reset since their texts, at least not one he could remember. No odd sense of déjà vu occurred to the skeleton so he assumed she was fine.

Hearing the footsteps rushing up the stair Sans wondered what had gotten Paps excited now. Listening as the taller skeleton spoke through the door, Sans sat up quickly on his bed. His body was ridged and tense from the flash of anger and worry that shot through his soul. _“Did she run into Mettaton already?”_  the skeleton rose his hand running it over the left side of his face in frustration as he tried to calm his temper. _“Is that egotistical piece of scrap metal really making a new show out of his attempt to get Frisk’s soul? How am I supposed to keep my distance now with it being broadcast through the entire Underground?”_ Sans mentally growled as his eye sockets narrowed at his thoughts. He could feel his magic brushing against his bony hand that covered his left eye as he tried to calm himself down.

“SANS? ARE YOU OKAY IN THERE?” Papyrus called through the door upon not receiving a reply. The taller skeleton hesitantly began to turn the door knob to enter the room. He didn’t get far before the knob turned forcefully without his assistance and the door opened quickly.

Sans stood in the doorway grinning at his brother with a smile as he rubbed his eye sockets sleepily. “Sorry bro. I was just napping. I think I put a skele-ton of effort into trying to solve the puzzle and wore myself out.” The shorter skeleton chuckled slightly as he stretched.

“SANS! REALLY?! I GOT ENOUGH OF YOUR AWFUL PUNS OVER DINNER, AND NOW YOU’RE STARTING THEM AGAIN?!” Papyrus whined slightly as he ran a gloved hand over his face in frustration before glaring down at his brother. “ANYWAY, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID OR NOT?!” the taller skeleton asked as his excitement began to build again.

“Heh, sure did bro. I’ll come down and see what’s up with Mettaton’s new show with you.” Sans replied with a wink before disappearing and teleporting downstairs onto the couch. “Are you coming slow poke?” he called up to the landing as Papyrus blinked is eye sockets in confusion.

“NYEH! I AM DEFINITELY NOT A SLOW POKE SANS! YOU CHEATED USING YOUR POWERS!” Papyrus accused as he ran down the stairs before launching himself onto the couch next to his brother. “I’M SO EXCITED! I’M GOING TO TEXT UNDYNE AND LET HER KNOW SHE SHOULD COME OVER AND WATCH WITH US!” the taller skeleton quickly pulled out his cell phone and began to text Undyne.

“Heh, I bet she’s been looking forward to this too Paps.” Sans looked at his brother with a grin before returning his attention to the TV in front of them. His smile faltered a little as he tucked his hands into the front pocket of his jacket as his pinprick gaze watched the intro play for the show called Super Mettaton EX VS The Human. His eye socket arched a bit as he stared at the humanoid robot on the screen, dancing around in various clips that made up the intro. “Is that his new form he’s been going on about?” Sans muttered mostly to himself.

“YES! ISN’T IT SO AWESOME?! ALTHOUGH I’LL ALWAYS LOVE HIS ORIGINAL BOXY FORM, I HAVE TO ADMIT THIS ONE IS PRETTY NEATO!” Papyrus replied to the question in his excitement as his eye sockets widened in admiration of the robot on the screen. “OH! OH! LOOK SANS ITS STARTING! UNDYNE HAD BETTER GET HERE SOON!” the skeleton leaned forward as the intro faded to black. Sans eyed the TV with a weary gaze not sure how much he would be able to stand watching and still keep his word to Gaster that he would let the human do this on her own.

~*~*~*~

Frisk’s body was tense as she stared at the humanoid robot in front of her that had been speaking to her as the lights went on. “Darling you look a little tense! Is it perhaps because of the perfection that is my brand new body you get to have your big debut with? Darling just be your normal horrible human self, don’t let my magnificence distract you! I expect fantastic battles between the two of us for my lovely audience!” the robot gave a slight giggle and waved his hand coyly at Frisk who just stared at him for a moment.

“W-what, but I don’t want to fight! I’m just trying to talk to Asgore!” Frisk finally spoke in a disbelieving tone as she stared at the monster. She couldn’t understand why it was so hard for them to get that she wasn’t here to fight them, she wasn’t a killer.

“Oh please Darling! Don’t try to appeal to the audience’s sympathy. You are the enemy of monsters here in the Underground, and I, Mettaton, am going to be the hero that defeats you and takes your soul to break the barrier! Hohoho good luck getting past me Darling!” Mettaton replied not believing Frisk in the slightest that she would do things peacefully. “Welcome to the party Darling! I hope you’re ready to die!” the robot spoke in a dramatic tone as he looked at the human dramatically before grabbing a large picnic basket sitting on a counter and clicking the heels of his boots together to activate a pair of rockets within the soles that launched the robot skywards.

Frisk looked around now realizing the set was set up as a kitchen and dining room area, set up as if there was a party going on. However the room appeared to be in disarray as if the party goers had fled from the area as chairs were toppled over and paper plates and silverware were scattered over the floor.

The human gave a slight scream as something landed on the floor in front of her echoing with a loud boom at her feet. Looking up she saw Mettaton give a slight giggle above her as he held what appeared to be an egg in his hand “What’s the matter Darling? Are the eggs a little too done for you?” He threw the egg in his hand at her as she jumped back from the dangerous explosive before looking up at him. “Well how about a little milk to settle your stomach? It’s special formula that I bet you’ll just be attached to!” Mettaton chuckled as he tossed a milk carton at the woman. As it landed with a splat something white seeped out onto one of Frisk’s shoes. She tried to step back only to find that whatever it was was sticky and dried quickly as her shoe was stuck to the floor.

“What is this?” she yelled as she tried to pull her shoe free, but to no avail. Quickly she slid her foot out of the shoe and moved out of range before the robot could throw another one at her. She suddenly came to a stop as she saw the shadow of something else landing almost on top of her as she stepped back. With a loud bang, a bag of “flour” landed, hard, in front of her causing the floor to crack from the impact of the object.

“Not a fan of the milk either? How about flour? Although I’ve heard that stuff just sits like a rock in your stomach.” The robot stared at her with a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth before digging his hand into the picnic basket once more to pull out one of the three to throw at the human. “Hohohoho! You better run if you want to live Darling!”

Frisk gave a squeak of fear as she ran to hide and avoid whatever he was going to throw at her next. She reached down to pull the frying pan from the holder, her fingers fumbled to grab the object as she was forced to stop in her tracks to avoid being crushed by a bag of flour in front of her. Finally freeing the pan of its holder Frisk swung it to save herself from the double barrage of eggs that Mettaton had just thrown at her, knocking them into the background of the stage and setting off two fiery explosions.

Giving a gasp the human ducked under the counter hiding in the little cubby that was there as several more eggs landed on the ground around her. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket Frisk quickly called Alphys from where she was hiding.

“F-Frisk!” she heard the doctor’s voice from the other end of the phone. The woman was panting heavily trying to catch her breath after her death defying run for her life.

“Help me! What do I do about this guy?!” Frisk yelled in a panicked voice as she heard Mettaton laughing above her as he circled preparing to drop one of his last flour bags on the counter aiming to crush it and the human hiding in it.

“Y-y-your phone! One of the modifications I made c-can create a temporary force field, t-the option is in your settings! It won’t l-l-last long, b-b-but maybe it can buy you enough time to make a run for the door! O-o-or you can throw the s-silverware at Mettaton and t-try to hit the button on the bottom of his boot heel that turns off his rockets!” Alphys held her phone in a tight grip right up to her ear as she watched the fight on pins and needles, hoping beyond hope that Frisk would survive the fight.

“Button on his heel huh? Okay… i-if I can disable his rockets it should buy me even more time to make a run for it.” Frisk replied in a breathless tone as she looked out to see Mettaton preparing to drop the flour bag on her. “Eek! Thanks Alphys!” the woman squeaked in fear as she scrambled out from under the counter as the flour bag landed with a loud crash, shattering the counter she had been hiding under.

Hanging up the phone Frisk quickly pulled up her settings option and saw the Force Field option under it. Staring at it for a moment, Frisk decided not to question how this would work and pressed the button as she looked up to see the robot preparing to throw a  milk carton at her. Giving a gasp Frisk closed her eyes as she hoped the force field would activate. A splat above her made the woman open her eyes as she saw a neon green bubble protecting her now.

“Hohohoho! I see you have a toy now huh Darling? Well this should get interesting if you have some tricks up your sleeve as well.” Mettaton giggled slightly as he began throwing eggs at her again. Frisk quickly grabbed a handful of the silverware and started to throw it at the robot hovering above her. Mettaton avoided the projectiles with an agile spin in the air, stopping in a cute looking pose as he blew a kiss at Frisk.

“Really, Darling you could just throw flowers at me. They are much more fitting for a star than cutlery!” The robot said giving a slight glare at the human as he continued to avoid what she was throwing and return fire of his own. Frisk gave an irritated grunt as she kept missing, her eyes widening slightly as her phone began beeping frantically at her. Pulling it out she saw that there was only a little bit of charge remaining on her force field.

 _“Gotta make this one count.”_  She thought silently to herself. Frisk understood the consequences but knew without help she wouldn’t hit the vexing robot flying above her. The woman closed her eyes as she focused a small amount of her soul power into her palm. A faint red glow covered the spoon in her hand as she threw it in a swift movement. Her power seemed to increase how fast it was flying through the air and Mettaton couldn’t avoid the hit as it struck the heel of his boot, disabling the rocket on that boot as the robot began to fly out of control.

“Oh no! It seems the evil human has bested me this time! Do not fear you beautiful monsters of the Underground. I will return to fight the human once more!” Mettaton spoke in an over dramatic voice as he fell towards the ground, landing with a loud crash back behind the stage.

“I’m sorry!” Frisk cried out frantically as she disabled the force field around her and looked around. “Where’s it at?!” She muttered in a panicked whisper before seeing her shoe had somehow managed to come free of its sticky prison during their fight. Quickly grabbing it from the floor the woman took off running for the other side of the stage. She knew it was pointless to stick around and make sure Mettaton was alright since it would just result in another fight that she wasn’t ready for.

Running a bit blindly in the dark area off to the side of the stage Frisk searched for the door to the outside. After quickly working her way through the props that had been blown off stage and blown out from behind the stage Frisk finally heard the whoosh of the door opening and saw the almost welcoming sight of Hotland staring back at her. “Thank goodness.” She finally released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she made her way outside letting the door slam shut behind her as she leaned against the warm metal building before sliding to her ground to catch her breath and put her shoe back on.

~*~*~*~

“OH MY GOODNESS, THAT WAS SO EXCITING! I CAN’T BELIEVE THE HUMAN MANAGED TO BEAT METTATON THOUGH! HE SEEMED TO BE WINNING FOR MOST OF THE FIGHT!” Papyrus clutched a pillow from the couch to his chest as he stared with wide eyes at the stay tuned for more screen that had popped up after Mettaton said his vow to return and fight the human. “STRANGLY THOUGH THAT HUMAN APPEARED TO LOOK LIKE THE ONE WE MET A WHILE AGO DIDN’T IT SANS?” Papyrus commented running his glove gently over his mandible in thought. Upon not receiving a reply the skeleton glanced over at his brother. “SANS?”

The pupils had disappeared from the shorter skeletons eye sockets during the stress of watching Mettaton attack Frisk with the ridiculous, yet very dangerous props. _“God damn it! That was awfully close Frisk! You’re lucky you managed to get out without a reset happening. I bet that force field was something from Alphys.”_ Sans’s thoughts whirred in his mind like a blur as he seemed to have lost himself for the time being. _“If she wouldn’t have had that with her… Mettaton would have…”_

“SANS!?” Papyrus’s worried tone snapped Sans out of his thoughts as his pupils appeared in his eye sockets again as he gave his head a shake. What had Papyrus said to him? Sans tried to recall what he had been tuning out.

“O-oh right, right. Yeah bro, maybe all humans look similar? Ya know it could be a thing with them now days.” Sans replied finally recalling what Papyrus had said to him. A slightly forced grin was given to the taller skeleton who looked at his brother with a worried stare. “Aw come on Paps don’t look at me like that. I’m fine bro… really… I’m fine.” Sans looked at his brother with a less forced grin trying to convince Papyrus that nothing was wrong, even though it was getting harder to do that thanks to the fact that he found himself caring about someone other than his small circle of friends and his brother for a change.

A loud aggressive knocking on the door distracted Papyrus from his reply as he jumped to his feet to get it. Sans breathed a soft sigh of relief for the distraction at least for a moment. “HEY DORK!” a familiar voice called out loudly from the door as Papyrus gave a slight cry as he was pulled into a headlock.

“UNDYNE, PLEASE DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!” Papyrus groaned as he winced slightly from the noogie Undyne was giving him. The fish woman just laughed heartily at his reply before letting him go and walking in with her hands placed firmly on her hips.

“Heh, come on Papyrus! You know that’s what you get when you invite me over, especially to watch the freaking tin can!” Undyne grinned at the taller skeleton with her sharp teeth as she walked forward. She paused in step as she saw Sans on the other end of the couch, still recalling the other day when he had reminded her very clearly how he felt about her swearing in front of Papyrus.

“Hiya.” He grinned at the fish woman and gave her a wave of his bony hand. In all honesty he had all but forgotten his anger at her from the other day, as he was more concerned with something else at the moment.

“Hey bonehead.” She replied in a hesitant tone sitting down on the other end of the couch so that Papyrus could sit between the two. Undyne figured it was safer that way. “So, what’s this about Mettaton having ANOTHER new freaking show? What is it this time? You sounded super excited.” Undyne rested her elbow on the arm of the couch after glancing at the screen and seeing the Stay Tuned image on it.

“IT’S A LIVE, ACTION REALITY SHOW! METTATON HAS AN EXCITING NEW FORM, AND HE HAS A SPECIAL HUMAN GUEST! I CAN’T BELIEVE ANOTHER HUMAN MANAGED TO GET PAST ALL OF US, BUT IT DEFINITELY LOOKED HUMANY TO ME!” Papyrus replied to his mentor in excitement still not making the connection that was the same human. Undyne however wasn’t quite so simple minded as her good eye widened slightly at the news before flicking towards the shorter skeleton whose figure appeared more tense than it had a moment ago as well as his grin looking somewhat strained now.

“That’s… pretty interesting that another human managed to slip by all of us. Not to mention unseen at that. How much did I miss then? You did say it was starting soon when you texted me.” The fish woman turned her attention back towards the taller skeleton. It seemed Sans wasn’t going to correct his brothers assumption that it was a different human, although she wasn’t sure why. Wouldn’t it make more sense to help the human if he really appeared that upset by what was going on? Surely Papyrus would be upset, he seemed to like the human quite a bit as well and she wasn’t really all that bad in Undyne’s opinion either.

“IT LOOKED LIKE THE HUMAN HAD CRASHED AN EXCITING BIRTHDAY PARTY AND SCARED OFF ALL THE GUESTS! METTATON WAS TRYING TO DESTORY THEM FOR THE SAFTEY OF EVERYONE! HE WAS THROWING BOMBS IN THE SHAPE OF EGGS AT THEM TO BLOW THEM TO BITS, MILK THAT WOULD IMOBILIZE THEM AND THESE HEAVY BAGS OF FLOUR TO CRUSH THEM! SOMEHOW, IN THE END THE HUMAN MANAGED TO ESCAPE METTATON FOR NOW!”     Papyrus recounted the episode they had just watched with clenched hands as excitement filled his tone while he stared with anticipation at the screen in front of them.

Sans clenched his hands tightly inside the pocket of his coat as he tried to push the reminders of what had just happened from his mind. _“She’s fine. She made it out okay… there’s no reason to worry. Except that it seemed like Mettaton gave up to easily… what’s he planning on doing?”_ Sans’s thoughts whirled in his mind again. He could feel the hot flash in the left side of his skull that told him his eye was beginning to glow again from his magic. Sans quickly moved his hand to cover his eye socket until he could calm down again.

Undyne glanced sideways at the motion he made, it was something he did when he was trying to keep Papyrus from seeing his magic flare up, especially when he was angry.“Hey Papyrus! What kind of Host are ya trying to be?! I run all the way here from Waterfall and ya don’t even offer me a drink punk?!” Undyne looked over to the taller skeleton with a playful grin on her features.

“OH MY GOSH! YOU’RE RIGHT UNDYNE! HOLD ON I’LL GET YOU MY MEGA WATER GLASS AND A PLATE OF MY AWESOME SPAGHETTI THAT I MADE TONIGHT!” Papyrus jumped to his feet and quickly darted off to the kitchen realizing that Undyne was right about his mistake. The fish woman cast a glance at Sans before turning her attention to the TV in front of them.

“Thanks.” she heard him mutter to her as he dropped his hand showing his blue glowing eye before his eye sockets closed and he tilted his head back in an attempt to relax. The fish woman’s eye widened in surprise at the word, it was probably the first time he had actually thanked her for something. A slight chuckle escaped her.

“I’m just surprised you managed to sit through that tin can’s show if everything Papyrus said is true. You didn’t even go to help her out at all.” Undyne commented in a low tone to the skeleton. She didn’t understand him right now, he had been more than willing to protect her in Waterfall but something changed once they got to Hotland.

“Heh… I’m not a babysitter… the human needs to be able to do this on her own… I… I can’t go running off to help her every time she gets in trouble. It’s not my style ya know?” Sans replied in a strained tone trying to push down the rush of guilt that her words made him feel.

“Well it’s not normally your style to stand up against me either is it?” Undyne commented with a slightly dry laugh at his words. “When are ya gonna man up?” Undyne muttered in a low tone not really wanting him to hear her. Even if he did hear her, Sans didn’t reply as the two heard Papyrus returning from the kitchen.

~*~*~*~

Frisk continued onward away from the studio now, hoping that she would have a short break from fighting. Looking to her left the woman’s eyes widened as she stared in shock at a giant metal structure in the distance. There were wires and tubes, cogs and gears, stairs and elevators all over the structure making it a rather impressive sight for the human.

A gentle alert from her pocket caused Frisk to take her phone out at glance at a text message on the screen. “That’s the Core! It’s the structure monsters built to help produce magical electricity for the Underground from the geothermal energy of the lava!” Alphys text said in response to Frisk’s amazement.

“Holy cow! It’s freaking huge and… a little scary looking. I think Alphys said I need to go through that to get to Asgore too. I hope it’s not as confusing from the inside as it looks from the outside.” Frisk muttered to herself as she continued to stare in amazement for a moment before remembering that she needed to keep going. The large building filled her soul with determination that such amazing things were possible even here in the Underground.

The next part of Hotland wasn’t too hard for Frisk to navigate. An odd elevator which seemed to be designed to go both up and down and side to side carried her through part of the Underground but it didn’t appear to be a straight shot in that elevator. Frisk assumed there were probably other elevators similar in design to lead her upwards through Hotland.

Making her way through the next level she had gotten to wasn’t that hard. A slightly difficult steam vent puzzle stopped her for a while as she struggled to figure out the pattern she needed to do in order to get out the other side. If it weren’t for the giant screen displaying the puzzle from an over head view, Frisk probably would have struggled for much longer than she had since the areas she landed on were actually switches that changed the way the steam vents would launch her.

After sitting on one of the islands staring at the screen for a short time the light bulb finally went off in Frisk’s brain as she realized what she needed to do to get to the other side. The woman was sitting near a healing stone now as she rested a bit. Her head was beginning to pound again from the fever that lingered and she was definitely feeling a lot more exhausted then she had originally felt, even with the use of the healing stone. They seemed to be doing less and less to really ease her fatigue.

Feeling at least a little bit rested Frisk moved on through Hotland. The woman paused in step as she heard two voices speaking up ahead of her. “Bro. I know what the guy asked us to do but… you’ve been sweating so much lately. Like, you seriously need to get your armor rebuffed with the heat resistant wax bro. It’s super dangerous for you to be running around like that RG2.” one of the voices spoke up in a worried tone.

“…I’m fine RG1… let’s just stay in position here.” A deep gruff sounding voice replied to the first one. Frisk gave a slight groan of despair. They were probably waiting for her to pass through, and it would probably end up being another fight.

“Better than facing off against Mettaton again already I guess.” Frisk muttered under her breath trying to keep her determination to continue on. Giving a sigh the woman continued walking forward coming into sight of two heavily armor clad monsters. One looked to have rabbit like ears protruding out of his helmet and the other had fin like ears that vaguely made Frisk think of Undyne. They both held swords in their hands indicating they were probably a legitimate threat.

Both the monsters stood tall as they saw the human approaching them. Mettaton had said that if it looked too dangerous he would jump in, but he would rather RG1 and RG2 fight the human since it would draw more interest for his new show. The two guards agreed after a bit of convincing that they would do it. A faint nudge to RG1’s ribs reminded the monster that he needed to say his lines as the human came to a stop before them.

“Like, human! We are going to stop you from going any further! The… uh… totally rad Mettaton shouldn’t , like, have to deal with you and get his awesome new body all dirty… and stuff! So, like, prepare to die, alright?” the rabbit eared monster pointed in a dramatic way at Frisk before glancing off to the side at his partner. The fin eared monster gave a slight groan at his partner’s over dramatic words but gave a nod of his armored head regardless.

“Do you guys really need to do this? I… I really don’t want to fight you two.” Frisk spoke in a tired sounding tone as she looked at the two of them with a weary gaze. The two monsters swung their swords through the air swiftly in unison as they remained in Frisks way.

“Don’t, like, try to confuse us and stuff. You’re a human, humans don’t like doing things the peaceful way alright? So, like, we’re going to capture your soul and stuff for Mettaton!” the monster spoke before charging forward recklessly.

“Tch, I don’t get you guys. I try to do things peacefully and you all think I’m still a bad guy.” Frisk muttered feeling as if she were on the verge of tears. Tired fingers grabbed the handle of the pan as she swung it upwards with one hand to block the sword from hitting her as she moved to the left to avoid the swing of the sword. _“Thank goodness for playing tennis for a year in high school. It might not have helped my agility but at least I can make use of this pan.”_  She thought to herself standing with the pan held in front of her with both hands, her feet positioned further away from each other as her whole body stood tensely waiting for the next attack.

RG2 attacked this time, his movements were more calculated than that of his partners as he ran towards Frisk while keeping his unseen eyes trained on her. She put more weight on her right foot so that she would be able to jump away from his sword attack as well. RG2 quickly made a sweeping motion around with his arm so he would attack in and upwards motion rather than a downwards one. The unprepared human lost her weapon as it was knocked out of her and RG2 balled up his fist, striking her squarely in the gut and sending her flying backwards off her feet a few feet as she landed in a dazed state on the ground.

“That was awesome RG2! You really rocked the human good. Why don’t we just bring her soul to Mettaton instead of having to worry about her getting away?” RG1 suggested as he held out his fist for RG2 to bump against.

The monster hesitated and then fist bumped with his partner before giving a nod and turning his attention to the human. “Good idea RG1.” He replied before raising his sword up to finish off the human. Frisk gasped as her eyes grew wide and she tried to back away from the strike of the monsters sword, but her attempt was in vain as she felt his sword cut mercilessly through her chest. The last thing she saw was her hand covered in her own crimson blood and her red soul bursting from her chest before her vision went black.

~*~*~*~

Frisk lay on the ground near the healing statue trembling slightly from the after math of her death to the two guards. She had almost let her guard down, almost forgotten how much pain she actually felt after dying. Thanks to Sans’s help in Waterfall she had only had to experience it a handful of times and that felt so long ago. Tears stained the human’s cheeks as she took several shaky breaths trying to push herself to get back up. “Uh… I feel so tired.” Frisk muttered as she pushed herself to stand.

Looking in the direction of the two guards, Frisk took a deep breath and placed her palm on the healing stone. She focused all she could on gathering what energy the stone could give her, but even then she didn’t feel as though she was at one hundred percent. “Gotta get past them though. I need to remember not to stand still with the one that was called RG2, he’s a smart guy and I’ll get killed again.” Frisk muttered as she turned around and walked back towards the two guards.

The fight started off the same as last time with RG1 charging her first and Frisk dodging his attack completely this time before turning her attention to RG2. He charged at the human and she moved backwards to avoid him completely as well. With her attention on RG2 she didn’t see RG1 had circled around back behind her. As she got ready to jump back she caught sight of the other guard as well as he prepared to slash his sword at her when she jumped back towards him. Freezing in place to avoid the slash of RG1’s sword she looked in front of her again as RG2 brought his sword down at her; Frisk blocked his attack with her pan catching his blade against the flat bottom and using it as a shield as she shifted her position to jump back away from both the monsters.

Gaining to some distance from them, Frisk panted weakly as she noticed her vision seemed a bit fuzzier than before. _“How am I supposed to do this while poisoned?! I’m so tired… my body… feels like lead at this point.”_ Frisk ran her hand over her face trying to keep herself focused on the fight at hand; one death to these two was already too much.

The woman saw RG2’s armor heaving as he panting slightly as well; he ran a hand over his helmet, she suddenly recalled what RG1 had said before she approached about his partner needing to get his armor buffed with the heat resistant wax. An idea came to her, if she could just keep him moving he might pass out from heat exhaustion bringing it down to one on one, and RG1 didn’t seem as focused on fighting as RG2 was.

Frisk directed most of her attention to RG2 as she saw him looking in her direction even though she couldn’t see his eyes; she tried to stay aware of where RG1 was as the two split up again trying to double team her. RG2 gave a slight growl and charged at the human in front of him his sword held high so he could swing downwards at her.

Frisk’s body trembled as she watched him charge, she seemed frozen in place from fear. _“Block his attack and beam him across his helmet with your pan! You need to do something!”_ Chara’s voice echoed in the back of her mind.

 _“I don’t want to hurt him Chara!”_ Frisk retorted silently giving her head a slight shake. She heard them give a groan of frustration to her reply.

 _“Oh for pete’s sake you moron, you can’t just stand there and let him kill you! DO IT OR YOU’RE GOING TO DIE AGAIN!”_ Chara’s tone sounded violent as they reached their limit on patience. Frisk blinked back tears of frustration and backed away from the attack.

“I’m so sorry!” the woman cried as she struck the side of the recovering RG2’s helmet with the pan with a swift swing hoping that it would only serve to stun the monster. Backing away, her eyes wide in fear, she saw the monster land on his side as RG1 ran up to him.

“Bro! R2! You okay man?” RG1 asked in a panicked tone as he knelt down next to his partner. The saw RG1’s hand raise shakily as he put it on RG2’s arm to try to get a response. RG2 gave his head a slight shake, indicating he was still conscious and just stunned from the blow.

“Damn…that was a good hit…” RG2 muttered as he sat up and panted loudly now, the heat of his armor was starting to get to him. “Too hot…” he grunted standing to his feet. While he wouldn’t admit it the hit to his helmet had left him a little dizzy, that in combination with the uncomfortable heat was distracting him. “Screw it…” RG2 muttered as he unhooked the metal clasps holding the armor onto his torso letting it hit the ground with a loud “clang”.

Frisk’s already wide eyes somehow managed to widen even more in embarrassment as a faint blush crept across her cheeks. The muscles of his abs and pecks were wide making him look extremely buff as sweat shone on his scaly, green skin. She looked away not wanting to stare at him, even though she was definitely distracted from the fight now. Frisk wasn’t sure who WOULDN’T be distracted from that.

If she felt distracted it was nothing to how RG1 looked. Even with the helmet covering his head the whites of his eyes could be seen now as he openly stared at his partner. “R-RG2?” the guard managed to squeak his words out as he stared at the monster.

RG2 appeared oblivious to the discomfort he caused as he flexed his muscles freely now giving a satisfied grunt as the heat became bearable again. “Much better.” He breathed a sigh of relief as he grabbed his sword from the ground and looked over to RG1. “Come on… let’s take care of this…” RG2 spoke in a low tone as he extended his hand to help RG1 to his feet.

The monster felt heat creeping into his face as a magical blush illuminated his helmet slightly as he stared at the other monster. RG2 tilted his head curiously not understanding the reaction his partner was giving him. They had seen each other shirtless before when swim training in Waterfall. RG1 put his hand to his face as he glanced way. “D-damn bro. I… I just can’t. RG2, why you gotta do this now man?” RG1 tripped over his words, caught up in the moment, pretty much forgetting that they had a human to keep busy.

“What… do you mean?” RG2 asked not understanding his partner’s words. He hadn’t done anything wrong as far as he knew. RG1 usually was pretty chill with him being shirtless.

“Bro! I mean THAT!” RG1 gestured wildly to his partner’s naked torso. “Like normally it’s no big deal, cuz we’re training, and talking and stuff and it distracts me, but RG2 doing THAT in the middle of a fight, just ain’t fair man. I mean I like, LIKE, you man and then you go and do that.” RG1 dropped his gaze to the ground as his blush deepened. “It just like reminds me how much I like how calm and cool and collected you are even with showing off your awesome bod. I like training with you, and I like how confident and smart you are, and I like to spend time with you.” The monster seemed to forget about the fight completely as his words just seemed to spill out of his mouth like water busting from a dam.

RG2 stood in a stunned silence as he withdrew his hand running it over the back of his helmet nervously. He had never actually realized RG1 felt like that about him. Thinking about it now though it explained why RG1 acted the way he did sometimes. He saw RG1 stare at him for a moment before dropping his gaze in embarrassment. “RG1…” his deep voice finally escaped his lips as his partner looked up at him. “I…um… do you realize… er… do you… want to talk about this over some ice cream?” RG2 figured RG1 had forgotten this was being broadcast throughout the entire Underground, so he had just confessed his feelings in front of an entire audience. RG2 didn’t want him to realize it and feel stupid while the camera was still rolling.

“Uh… yeah… that would be totally great!” RG1 replied in surprise to the offer as he took RG2’s hand now and stood up as they walked the opposite way of the human who had been long forgotten in the heat of the moment that had just occurred.

Frisk had stood as still as a statue her hand covering her mouth when RG1 had confessed his feelings, realizing the same thing that RG2 had. The entire Underground probably knew now. “I hope… everything works out for them. That was… kind of an extreme way to confess his feelings but… at least he was honest.” Frisk commented not sure what else to really say since she was pretty much frozen in shock from how the fight had turned. Not that she was complaining, she didn’t want to have another reset take place.

 Thinking about that made her realize that the poison was about to spread as a nauseous feeling filled her stomach. The sudden white hot pain that coursed through her body brought her to her knees easily as a scream of pain escaped her throat. If she could have processed a coherent thought at the time, Frisk would have been grateful that thanks to the poison weakening her she was quicker to black out this time as the pain pushed her into unconsciousness.

~*~*~*~

“Well Ladies and Gentlemonsters, it seems the Royal Guards managed to stun the human into sparing them!” The announcers voice sounded the slightest bit strained at what had just happened but he still tried to sound cool and calm regardless.

Undyne gave a loud groan as she ran her hand over her good eye in frustration. “Are you fuuuu, freaking SERIOUS?! Did he really just do that on freaking LIVE TV?!” Undyne shrieked as she dragged her hand down her face. “I seriously give him every other freaking opportunity to do it and he’s got to do it THEN?! I mean seriously! They swim together in Waterfall for training! Man this is going to make the Royal Guard look like a damn joke!” She slammed herself backwards into the couch holding her face in her hands in embarrassment.

Papyrus sat grinning at the TV as he squeaked in excitement. This show really had everything, fighting, excitement, drama… love! “UNDYNE DON’T BE SO HARD ON THEM! IT WAS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO CONFESS HIS FEELINGS SINCE SURLY RG2 CAN’T TURN HIM DOWN NOW!” the taller skeleton’s eyes shone with excitement as he quickly looked from the TV to Undyne and then back.

“It seems that love can really blossom anywhere, even in the middle of a battle that’s supposed to keep the human busy so our hero can prepare for her arrival! Well Ladies and Gentlemonsters, the next episode will be airing shortly sooo stay tuned for the next stage in the humans relentless journey to destroy Super Mettaton EX!” the announcer spoke finally regaining his composure as the cameras zoomed in on the two royal guards walking away before fading to black and showing the stay tuned screen once more.

Sans had kept his eye sockets closed for most of the fight after he had felt the sickening sense of déjà vu from what he assumed was one of the royal guards killing Frisk. However even he couldn’t ignore what had just happened as an eye socket was arched high in disbelief at just how the fight had ended. _“At least she didn’t die again. I guess that was lucky, but seriously?! What the… how the hell did that manage to go the way it did?!”_  Sans shook his head slightly at his thoughts as he closed his eye sockets again feeling a faint bit of relief flood him.

Suddenly his hand lifted to his sternum as he felt a dull ache in his soul causing his eye sockets to open slightly as he stared blankly up at the ceiling. _”The poison…”_ he thought silently wondering if Frisk would be alright. _“Heh… I promised she wouldn’t have to go through that alone again…”_ he gave a slight humorless chuckle at another broken promise he’d made to the woman. He felt the bones of his ribcage thrum slightly thanks to the overwhelming guilt he was starting to feel.

“SANS PLEASE TELL ME YOU WERE AWAKE FOR THAT!” Papyrus looked over at his brother who appeared to be asleep. The taller skeleton was hoping that by keeping his brother distracted with the show, it would help ease his mind a bit. However if Sans was just going to sleep it wasn’t going to do anything.

“Yeah bro I was awake I promise. Who would have thought that RG1 would confess like that right? I mean that was a pretty heated thing to do, he was risking getting real burned by rejection wasn’t he?” Sans snickered slightly at the attempted puns as his brother glared at him.

“SANS!!!” the taller skeleton seethed slightly in his irritation as he looked away from his brother with a huff of irritation.

“Heh come on bro. You’re getting all hot-headed over some puns. I think I’m on fire here.” Sans closed his eye sockets as he laughed slightly at Papyrus’s reaction. His brother was actually being pretty cool about his use of puns to show he had been watching.

Papyrus gave a deep groan as he smacked his face with his gloved palm before sighing in frustration. The skeleton stood to his feet and walked into the kitchen muttering under his breath about Sans making those ridiculous jokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi readers! First off I’m really sorry about such a loooong wait for this chapter. My creativity bounces from one hobby to the next sometimes and it’s hard for me to focus, but I definitely gave myself a goal of getting this up by New Years day. I would have achieved said goal if I didn’t go and rewrite most of this chapter because I was unhappy with how I had started typing it up a month ago. I’m going to try to make sure there is a lot less of a wait in between chapters from now on. I can’t guarantee a time frame any more but I’m aiming to update this story at least once a month. To make up for the wait I made this chapter twice as long as my previous ones.  
> The reason for the long wait is the Hotland arc is basically me writing stuff and hoping that it will work out since this part of the game is a little weird to put in written form. In fact that’s most of this chapter, me writing stuff and hoping that it doesn’t sound too ridiculous! I mean the RG1 and RG2 fight was a real frustration for me and I almost skipped it except for the fact that it’s one of those battles in game you need to do to progress the story.  
> Also if anyone was looking forward to boxy Mettaton I apologize but for how I want the Mettaton part of the Hotland arc to work I decided to take some creative liberties and have him in his humanoid form from the beginning. I think there will be bits of the Mettaton “fights” that I cut out because I’m not sure exactly how to make them work out with my idea for why Mettaton wants to capture the human soul.  
> I really hope all of you feel this is worth the wait! Thanks to everyone for the continued faves and follows even when I didn’t update this like I should have been! You all are far too wonderful as readers! Thank you, thank you, thank you!


	22. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_Frisk’s brown gaze flickered open as the darkness of the Void surrounded her. A slight ache filled her body as she looked around the darkness that surrounded her; the oddest thing she found about The Void right now was it was completely silent. Frisk, or rather her subconscious, had always been in the presents of either Chara or the Shadow Man here, but right now she felt as though she were alone. “How did I get here then? Either the Shadow Man or Chara usually pull me here, but I’m just… here.” Frisk spoke quietly to herself as she looked around in the darkness, seeking an answer of some sort._

_The woman felt a sharp pain shoot through her body and grip her soul. She gasped and fell to her knees wincing in pain as her soul gave off a bright red glow in her chest before appearing to burst from her chest and float in the air in front of her. Blinking her eyes as the woman tried to push down the pain, Frisk gave her soul a slightly curious stare as she gasped for air. Wincing again as a second wave of pain gripped her; the woman closed her eyes and whimpered slightly. As the pain became a dull ache she opened her eyes and looked at the soul in front of her before her gaze grew wide._

_She watched as a faint black crack formed in the center top of her soul slowly spreading downwards. “What the heck just happened?!” she asked in a shocked tone as she stared in confusion at the soul in front of her. Frisk’s hand extended outwards as her fingertips brushed gently against the red heart shape in front of her, feeling the warmth of the object as well as physically feeling the crack that now ran down through it. Her soul appeared fine otherwise, although upon closer inspection Frisk realized that while her soul had a red glow, there was a faint hint of a purple glow surrounding the soul as well that vaguely reminded the woman of the poison mark that was spreading across her body._

_“It’s funny isn’t it Frisk?” Chara’s voice suddenly filled the darkness causing Frisk to look around searching for their ghostly figure. “It’s funny what the impact of one small act of violence can have on a person’s soul. The worst part is… that mark never really goes away; it’s going to linger for the rest of your life.” Chara gave a slightly humorless chuckle as they spoke. “Hurting others becomes easier for you to bear as more scars appear on your soul. Sometimes though… you don’t really have a choice.” When Chara had been alive, they had acquired their share of marks on their soul as well from various violent acts they had committed, at first though Chara hadn’t had much of a choice. They didn’t want to hurt anyone but they didn’t want to die either._

_“Do you mean when I lost it and hit RG2 with the pan? I-it wasn’t… I didn’t mean to hurt him!” Frisk felt her breath catch in her chest as the realization dawned on her that she had in fact took down some of the guard’s health with her strike._

_“Heh… intentional or not Frisk, you still defended yourself by attacking someone. That crack in your soul will serve as a permanent reminder of what you did. Even if the crack heals you’ll always have a scar there that you will know about.” Chara spoke in a slightly smug tone as they suppressed a chuckle. Frisk’s words sounded so familiar, an echo of the past for them to hear._

_‘I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it… y-you gave me no choice!” the words echoed in Chara’s mind as a small frown crossed their features although Frisk wouldn’t be able to see it._

_“You yelling at the woman didn’t help matters.” A faint, angry voice spoke in hardly more than a whisper as Gaster finally revealed he was present as well. Even as he tried to defend her, Frisk felt her guilt at her actions lingering in the back of her mind._

_“Hey! I freaking saved her from having to die YET AGAIN! You want her to play the pacifist and not hurt anyone but she can get hurt?! What kind of twisted double standard is that?!” Chara’s voice spoke loudly in an angry tone as the unseen spirit glared with cold eyes at Gaster as they stood nearby the human’s subconscious form._

_“I never wanted her to not defend herself! However there are better ways than resorting to violence! She’s proven herself worthy of my faith that she will not bring harm to the monsters of the Underground with the power to Reset by not engaging in physical violence! It was the only thing that could be done to stop that miserable little flower from continuing to toy with everyone’s lives.” Gaster defended his actions quickly as Chara accused him of creating a double standard for the human. If the spirit had known just how many timelines he had seen and been unable to do anything for, how much suffering he had seen everyone go through and be unable to prevent it, maybe they would understand his reasoning._

_“Enough!” Frisk finally spoke up in an angry tone as her soul flared brightly filling her with determination before returning to her chest. The flare of her soul power allowed the woman a glimpse of what she hadn’t been able to see. Blinking her eyes she saw Chara as a floating spirit next to her and what seemed to be a hovering skeletal face off to her right side. “Woah…” she muttered blinking her eyes as the two glance over at her in unison._

_“Interesting… the red soul of determination really is fascinating. I wish I had more time to investigate it while I was still considered alive…” Gaster muttered as he suddenly switched gears and approached the human who could see him somewhat now._

_Frisk watched as the figure approached her, however rather than being fearful the woman tilted her head as a confused look crossed her features. “You seem… familiar for some reason. There’s something about you that I almost recognize.” The woman muttered slightly as she stared at him with a puzzled expression on her face._

_“Hmm? I don’t know how that’s possible, seeing as we’ve never met before.” Gaster tried to brush off the situation as best as he could. It was probably his family bond to Sans and Papyrus that made him seem familiar to the woman, however he wasn’t going to tell her that. Frisk didn’t need to know his ties to the skelebros at the moment as it would probably cause the woman more distress._

_“I guess that’s true I just wish I knew why I felt that way.” The woman mused quietly to herself before shaking her head and returning her attention to the other issues at hand. Shifting a sharp gaze to Chara, the woman frowned slightly. “Don’t go around accusing him of things Chara. It’s rude, not to mention it’s always been my choice on what to do.” She shifted her gaze to Shadow Man now. “It was my choice to listen to Chara too. Just because they were yelling at me didn’t mean I had to listen, so you both need to stop throwing around accusations.” It was more of a request than an order, seeing as these two seemed more powerful than she herself was._

_Frisk grew quiet now as she paced in the darkness of The Void, weighing her limited options. “You seem troubled Frisk.” Gaster commented as he “walked” over to the human who stared at him as she nibbled slightly on her lower lip._

_“I am actually. I want to break the barrier and save the monsters but… I’m worried my body may not have the strength to hold up to the poison. Also I’ve noticed my soul feels weaker as well… what if… I’m not strong enough to hold off the poison until I get to Asgore?” Frisk’s tone was filled with worry as she shared her concerns with the monster that had pulled her into the Underground in the first place._

_“Heh…” Chara gave a slight laugh as their transparent body reclined in the air while their arms were crossed over their chest slightly, their legs crossed as they stared at Frisk with a hint of mischief in their red gaze. “You could always take a page from Flowey’s book and try to Reset the entire timeline.” The spirit spoke in a smug tone._

_“Chara…” Gaster muttered in a sharp tone as he managed to glare at the spirit through his broken eye sockets. Chara returned the glare with one of their own as their gaze stayed on the “skeleton” in front of them._

_“What? You can’t deny it’s possible!” the spirit snapped in a defensive tone. “If Flowey was able to do it through his sheer will of determination, Frisk should be able to as well. What if something happens and she can’t make it to Asgore? Then all of her hard work is going to be for nothing!” Chara defended their reasoning for bringing up the ability to Reset the timeline._

_“What do you mean?” Frisk muttered in hardly more than a whisper as she looked at Chara with wide eyes. The woman hadn’t realized there was a way to Reset time even further back, she had always only gone back in time to the last place she had felt her determination at, as though it was a warped point in the timeline._

_“Heh ask ‘Shadow Man’. He understands the ability to Reset more than he’s been letting on. He’s just keeping quiet about it.” Chara smirked slightly as they faced Frisk before shifting their gaze to Gaster who gave them a hard stare as they tried to turn Frisk on him._

_“What is Chara talking about Shadow Man?” Frisk asked turning, as she stared expectantly at the skeletal face in front of her. The woman wasn’t mad really, but rather she wondered if this timeline reset was something that would help her. Gaster stared at the human’s spirit silently for a few minutes before sighing slightly._

_“You are a smart human. I assume at this point you are aware that your soul is very powerful correct?” Gaster asked as he stared at Frisk. The woman gave her head a quick nod indicating she was aware of her soul’s power. “You are what could be considered a timeline anomaly. Your determination somehow creates gaps in the timeline which allow you to return to a previous instance in time of the current timeline. Thanks to your determination to save the monsters in the Underground, your soul is unwilling to accept dying by a monsters hand, so once you ‘die’ your soul manages to continue to exist here, in The Void. From here your determination is able to seek out the time gaps you created.” The scientist explained as simply as he could to the woman so that she would understand._

_“In theory, your soul probably created a time gap when you fell into the Underground. If you were to be able to gather enough determination your soul should be able to reach out to the time gap you created there. However I believe the weaker your soul power becomes the less likely it is that you’ll be able to reach that point.” Gaster added as he ran his ghostly, boney fingers thoughtfully over his mandible before giving a faint sigh and looking at the human now. Frisk could almost feel his gaze boring into her, even though it appeared he didn’t have one._

_“I also don’t know what side effects the poison could cause you even if you were to figure out how to Reset the timeline back to the time gap you created when you fell. Flowey’s poison is a combination of magic and determination, it’s unpredictable to say the least. I assume there will be lingering side effects even if you go back to before the monster poisoned you.” the skeleton spoke in a cool tone. “Also your progress through the Underground, everyone you’ve befriended and spared, will be forgotten. Because you would be altering the previous timeline by going back, everything will be erased from the monsters memories. So you will have to do everything all over again… and I do mean EVERYTHING.” She could hear the emphasis he gave the word in order to drive home just what he was saying. Frisk hadn’t considered that she would be forgotten. No one seemed to remember Flowey with the exception of Sans, but how many Resets had taken place before Sans even remembered him?_

_“Heh, well they might forget you but at least you wouldn’t have to die, and maybe you might even get a happy ending too. Either way I just thought I’d bring up that it is another option that’s there despite no one telling you about it. It’s at least an option until you die from the ‘natural causes’ of that poison.” Chara snickered slightly as their red gaze stayed on Frisk. They were curious what the woman would do now that she knew she had another option; this was why developing feelings for others was dangerous._

_Frisk inhaled deeply as she paced again, trying to process the new information she was given. The selfish part of her wanted badly to try the Reset, but the sensible part of her reasoned that if she couldn’t be 100 percent positive that she could Reset the timeline all the way back to when she fell then it would be pointless to do it as she wouldn’t make it to Asgore for sure at that point. “I’ll do it only as a last resort. If I am positive there’s no way that I’ll be able to talk some sense into the king before the poison kills me, then and ONLY then will I try to do a full timeline Reset.” Frisk decided as she came to a stop and gave a slight sigh._

_“Heh… that’s such a pacifistic thing for you to do, even after all the pain you’ve been through so far. Your selflessness is going to come back to bite you eventually, but hey what do I know about that.” Chara’s tone was bitter and their reply sarcastic as they stared at the woman with a cool gaze before giving a sigh. They decided that they didn’t want to talk with Frisk anymore right now as their ghostly form faded from The Void to return to Frisk’s subconscious._

_“Chara…” Frisk murmured in a low tone as she watched the spirit fade from her sight. She still felt the Shadow Man’s presents but Chara had become part of her soul again. Their words about the mark on her soul and why she should Reset still lingering in the back of Frisk’s mind now._

_“Remember Chara’s opinions are their own, you will always make your own choices without interference from them or myself. You know my request of you, it hasn’t changed. As long as you keep your promise to find a way to free the monsters of the Underground I will continue to protect you as best that I can from here.” Gaster spoke from behind the woman now as she turned to face him._

_Frisk opened her mouth as if to say something but quickly closed it and gave a slight smile as she nodded at him gently. “Yeah I know.” The woman responded before giving a slight sigh. “I’ve been gone too long, I’m sure I probably wasted more time than I should have.” Frisk commented as she glanced at Gaster who nodded his head slightly as well._

_“Focus on your body, and where you were when you passed out. If you want to be able to Reset at will as a last resort you’re going to have to have control over your soul in The Void instead of relying on myself to do it.” He replied to Frisk as he remained in front of her. The woman blinked her eyes at him in surprise at the comment; it was unexpected that he would have her use her soul power considering how precious it actually was to helping the monsters to freedom. Him asking her to do this possibly meant he wasn’t certain anymore if she would be able to survive until the end either. This way if the worst case scenario were to happen she would at least have a little bit of practice to draw from._

_Closing her eyes as she tried to draw up the determination from her soul, the woman focused on creating a picture in her mind of where she had passed out and left her body at. It was somewhere in Hotland, a little ways past the switch tiled steam vent puzzle, the woman’s subconscious felt a tug on her soul as it seemed to find her body and make a connection to it. Frisk felt as though the ground vanished from beneath her as she fell through the darkness with a scream of panic escaping her._

~o~o~o~

The faint sound of Frisk’s ringtone filled the air as her brown eyes slowly blinked open to find herself face first on the ground. She gave a weak groan as she closed her eyes, the faintest hint of a headache lingering near her temples as her phone grew silent now. Frisk’s body felt heavy from fatigue and it felt like a struggle simply for her to sit up from where she lay now. _“Now’s not the time to rest.”_  Frisk reminded herself as the woman inhaled slightly before pushing herself up into a sitting position panting slightly as she did.

Slowly pulling her phone from her pocket now that she was sitting upright, Frisk moved the phone close to her face as she struggled to get her vision to focus for a moment. Once she could see clearly, her brown eyes widened in surprise. 12 missed calls, each of them approximately 5 minutes apart and all of them were from Alphys.

“She must be super worried at this point. Hopefully she’s by her monitor and can see that I’m awake now.” Frisk whispered in a soft voice as she pressed the “call back” button on her phone screen. Putting the phone up to her ear, Frisk waited patiently for the lizard woman to answer.

“Oh my gosh! Frisk, thank goodness you’re alright! I-I w-w-wasn’t sure what to d-d-do! I-if you didn’t wake up, I-I wasn’t sure wh-what to do a-and…” Alphys yelled into the speaker of her phone as soon as she saw the human’s name flash across her screen as her clawed fingers fumbled clumsily to answer the call.

“Alphys, please don’t y-yell. My head is already pounding, just… calm down a little…” Frisk replied wincing slightly as she spoke in an exhausted sounding tone. The tone as well as her words quickly silenced the lizard woman who inhaled sharply on the other end of the line before giving Frisk a moment of silence in order to recover.

“S-s-sorry Frisk. Um… a-are you alright?” Alphys asked in a nervous sounding tone as she quickly made her way back over to her monitor from where she had been pacing at. She saw the woman on the screen sitting with her forehead resting in her hand as she leaned with her back against a rock for support. The woman remained silent for a moment except for the faint panting she gave as she tried to catch her breath.

“I…” there was brief pause as Frisk gathered her determination. “I just… need to finish this as soon as possible… it’s the only thing I can do for sure at this point.” The woman muttered mostly to herself as she felt the heat of the fever warm her forehead. “Damn it… stupid fever…” the woman muttered quietly.

“Uh… um… why don’t you take another one of the pills I gave you to fight off the fever for now?” Alphys suggested in a soft voice after hearing the human speak. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before a faint sigh was given.

“I need to use them sparingly if I can.” Frisk muttered her reply as she pulled the baggie from her pocket that held the pills in it. After taking one the woman leaned back as she took a moment to gather her strength. “Alright, I guess it’s time to keep going now. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t having a panic attack since apparently I was out for a while.” She spoke in a quiet tone to Alphys as she gave a small sigh feeling bad that she had caused the lizard woman to worry so much. “Thanks for the help Alphys, we’ll talk soon.” She hung up the phone before tilting her head back and staring up with a tired gaze now.

Forcing herself to her feet Frisk started making her way forward again, wondering what was going to be the next obstacle she would have to overcome to get through Hotland. The woman gave a weak cough as she continued to follow the path in front of her.

~o~o~o~

Quite a bit of time had passed as Frisk continued to make her way onward, it had been uneventful since she had met the two guards and the woman was almost ready to let her guard down for the time being. The pill she had taken had long since taken effect in suppressing her fever and she felt a little better as she picked up her pace through Hotland.

She found herself in front of a double elevator now. It was odd that there were two elevators right next to each other, one that went up and one that went down. The woman pressed the up button on the one elevator but nothing happened. Frowning Frisk glanced around before she saw a small neon sign near the up and down arrows that said “deactivated” on it. As she glanced around her now the woman frowned as she gave a faint sigh of irritation, there appeared to be no other way for her to go. The sound of her ringtone met her ears as Frisk pulled her phone from her pocket and answered it. “Hello?”

“F-Frisk, is something wrong?” Alphys voice could be heard from the other end as the woman glanced back at the sign. The scientist had been watching as the human made her way onward and had just returned from getting a snack when she saw the human stopped in front of the elevator.

“Yeah. It looks like this elevator is deactivated. Is there any way to reactivate it? I don’t think there’s any other way onward.” The woman spoke in an irritated sounding tone as she looked around for something that would start the elevator up again.

“Hmm… I’d almost forgotten about the issue with the elevators in Hotland. Although it should be saying ‘Maintenance’ not ‘Deactivated’ on it. I was told it was an electrical issue…” Alphys muttered with a frown gracing her features. “H-hold on… I’m g-going to try hacking into the elevator database f-from the lab t-to see what the electrical issue is…” the lizard woman said in a slightly louder voice as she set the phone down on the desk putting it in speaker mode as the sound of her clawed fingers tapped loudly over the keys.

Her frown deepened as she tried to get into the data that would turn the elevators back on. The words “Access Denied” suddenly filled the computer screen in front of her now. “What the heck? T-this is not g-g-good. S-someone put up a f-f-firewall to block me from accessing th-the computer remotely. Hmm um… I’ll h-have to give you the access code and you’ll have to reactivate the elevator manually from there.”

“Could this be a trap set up by Mettaton?” Frisk asked as she eyed the elevator wearily now, hesitant to put in the access code. She took a step back away from the elevator before pacing slightly out of nervousness.

“I-i-it’s p-p-possible, I won’t lie. I don’t doubt th-that Mettaton has s-something to do with this honestly.” Alphys responded in a nervous tone as she watched the human on her monitor. “U-u-unfortunately it’s the only way to continue on through H-H-Hotland though. N-N-No one elevator goes straight up thanks to the layout of the Underground, w-we had to get creative.” Alphys explained as her voice grew quiet towards the end.

Frisk remained quiet as she listened to the doctor speak. She was pushed into a corner yet again with only one way out. An aggravated sigh was issued as the human stepped forward towards the elevator. “Alright then, help me out Alphys. Let’s get this thing reactivated.” Frisk finally agreed after deciding she had no other options to go forward with.

“Okay. I-if you look to the right of the deactivated sign about an inch over there is a small round button, you might need to run your fingertips over the surface to find it.” Alphys explained as she watched Frisk on the screen. The woman gently ran her fingertips over the metal before locating the button and pressing it. A small key pad ejected out of the wall for Frisk to enter numbers into. “A-alright, on that key pad you’ll have to enter the access code to reactivate the elevator. The code is741808.” the doctor watched as Frisk typed the code into the keyboard. After hitting the enter button everything stayed silent for a moment before the elevator beeped three times and the words “deactivated” flickered green and now read ‘activated’.

“Looks like it should be working now.” Frisk muttered as she pressed the button for the up elevator and listened as the mechanical sound of the elevator coming down from where it had been stuck at could be heard.

“J-just be careful w-when the door opens alright?” Alphys warned as she leaned back in her chair feeling relieved that so far things were going well. The doctor had been nervous in the beginning about being able to help Frisk, but so far she had been at least a little useful for the human and it made Alphys feel good that she could be of help.

“Don’t worry Alphys I’ll be alright. We’ll talk again soon I’m sure. Thanks for the help.” Frisk smiled slightly in spite of the situation before hanging up the phone and tucking it away for the time being. Taking a step back as she eyed the elevator as the mechanical sound came to a stop. Frisk waited for the doors to open, holding her breath as she did. The elevator opened up to reveal nothing inside except the white walls of the elevator. Frowning to herself, Frisk looked around hesitantly inside before stepping in and hitting the button that closed the door.

Frisk looked around hesitantly as the doors of the elevator opened at the next “floor”. She was still weary that this was all just a trap. Mettaton had to know by now that she had gotten the elevator working… unless he had been counting on that. Frisk paused just outside of the elevator as she thought about the possibility before shaking her head and continuing on.

Looking ahead of her, Frisk saw a monster sitting at a stand with her head resting in her hand. The woman paused in step as she saw what appeared to be… two more hands on the wood stand. Frowning as a slightly puzzled look crossed her face as she looked at the monster Frisk blinked her eyes as she tried to process what she was seeing.

Hesitantly making her way forward Frisk eyed the monster sitting behind the stand cautiously. The woman had grown accustomed to approaching new monsters with some kind of caution if only for the fact that continuously “dying” was becoming a problem thanks to Flowey. As she approached, Frisk definitely saw that the monster had at least two sets of thin looking arms; they had a lilac purple colored skin and short black hair put up into pigtails with two rose shaped hair ties. The monster had five eyes, two big main ones, two smaller ones above those and one oval one in the center of their forehead. They wore a blood red shirt with a small red frilly bow on the chest and a pair of puffy pastel orange colored shorts.

Looking closely at the items that were on the stand Frisk paused as a sense of déjà vu filled her. There was what appeared to be a box of donuts and a plate of croissants as well as a pitcher of some sort of amber colored liquid. “Where… have I seen this before? I know I haven’t died before here or I would remember that but… I feel like I’ve been here before.” The woman muttered quietly under her breath as she paused again and closed her eyes trying to wrack her brain for the answer.

Her eyes snapped open as realization dawned on her. “The spiders in the Ruins; they had a stand that was set up in the same way with the same things. I didn’t have any money at the time though so I had to go on without buying anything.” Frisk muttered under her breath. Putting her hand in her pocket Frisk felt a handful of coins she had managed to collect as she had gone through the Underground. She should have enough to afford to buy something now.

Muffet sat at her stand with her chin resting in one of her sets of hands. She had been warned about the human that was making their way through the Underground and what they had done to her clan in the Ruins thanks to a “friend”, and based on what she had heard through the spider web about Mettaton using the human to gain more publicity Muffet had approached the TV star with an offer to “help” him get his ratings higher by letting her have some fun with the human. The monsters plan was actually to avenge her fallen clan mates that had perished at the hands of the human, and what better way to do that than to kill the human and capture the soul for King Asgore to use to break the barrier.

Catching movement out of the corner of her eyes, Muffet turned her head slightly as she spotted the approaching human. Pausing a moment to collect herself, the monster folded her hands together on the stand top as a sickeningly sweet smile crossed the monsters face revealing two slender fangs on the sides of her mouth. _“So this is the human hmmm? I was expecting them to look a bit more… threatening.”_ Muffet thought silently to herself as she tilted her head at the human now in greeting.

“Why hello there dearie, welcome to our parlor. You’re a new face here in Hotland.” Muffet spoke in a high pitched, calm sounding tone as she stared unblinkingly at Frisk with her five purple eyes. The woman appeared hesitant as she paused in her approach towards the monster. A slight chuckle escaped from Muffet as she saw the hesitance, was the humans guilt beginning to catch up with her?

“Um… yes, I am new to Hotland actually. I’m just passing through though.” Frisk replied giving the spider looking woman a hesitant smile. _“Please… I don’t want any trouble…”_ Frisk thought the last part to herself hoping beyond hope that this was going to be easy and the monster wanted nothing more than to talk.

“Oh? Well then… surely you will need some food or drink for the trip right dearie? All proceeds go to real spiders.” Muffet replied with a faint laugh as her eyes narrowed slightly at the human. The woman was hesitant to answer the question however her stomach answered for her as it gave a faint growl. She placed her hands over it to quiet the growl as she looked up to the monster who chuckled at her.

“I… suppose I do need something yes. How much are the donuts?” Frisk asked as she approached the stand looking at the food the monster was selling before digging her hand into her pocket for the coins she had gathered. The woman missed the slight smirk the monster gave before speaking to her.

“Well dearie, those would be 9,999 gold pieces…” The monster replied calmly in a pleasant tone. She held back a slight laugh at the look of shock on Frisk’s face as she glanced over at the monster.

“O-oh… ah, w-well then how about a drink instead?” Frisk managed to squeak out the words as she looked at Muffet with a worried stare.

“Hmm… the spider cider? I’ll give you a special price… of just 9,999 gold pieces.”  Muffet replied in the same pleasant, calm tone as before. The monster was well aware that the price was far too high for the human to afford.

“Er… um… I, I guess I’ll have to pass then. I don’t have that kind of money on me unfortunately.” The woman muttered in a defeated sounding tone as her stomach gave an angry growl at not being fed.

“That’s unfortunate for you dearie… do TRY to take care now... ahuhuhuhu.” Muffet replied as her gaze narrowed dangerously at the human but she still kept the smile on her face. Frisk stared uneasily at the spider monster as she took a few steps back away from the stand.

“Th-thank you miss…” Frisk cautiously replied as she nodded her head before leaving the area. The spider monster was making her a bit uneasy for some reason, although she had done nothing to indicate she was a threat except make her prices so unreasonable Frisk wouldn’t be able to afford to buy anything. “Oh well, all I can do is continue on then…” the woman muttered with a slight sigh.

As she approached the area a short ways up, Frisk heard the sound of steam vents filling and releasing with steam again. Giving a groan of distress the woman let her legs give out on her as she fell to the ground and stared helplessly at the steam vent puzzle ahead of her. The woman was struggling to gather her determination to get through this next area since it required so much physical strength and she felt drained already.

She sighed softly before inhaling sharply and forcing herself to stand. “Don’t give up now Frisk. You have to keep going.” She whispered softly to herself trying to gather her strength and determination. Her soul still felt heavy but she knew she had to continue on, as she pushed herself to her feet the woman stared ahead before her head spun. Whimpering slightly, Frisk put her head in her hands as the world seemed to spin around her before she fell backwards, landing with a loud thud on the ground.

Frisk gazed with wide eyes, looking ahead with a vacant stare for a moment before the woman bit her lip trying to stifle a whimper as her eyes began to water. Pressing her right palm against her right eye as both eyes closed tightly, she felt the hot sting of tears welling up in them. A soft sob escaped Frisk as she finally broke and tears trailed gently down her cheeks. She tried to stop both the sobs that escaped her and the tears that fell from her eyes, but she couldn’t as a shadow of doubt, fear and despair gripped her soul in its icy clutches.

As she continued crying the woman drew her knees up to her chest as she rested her arms on her knees and buried her face in her arms as she sobbed. In her entire time down here Frisk hadn’t felt as much despair about the situation as she did right now, as if realization that this might be a futile attempt were finally catching up to her. The feeling made the woman cry even harder as she tried to draw her knees closer to her chest.

After spending some time crying Frisk finally started to calm down; a soft gasp was given as she felt a faint warmth grip her soul. The woman inhaled sharply before placing her hand gently over her chest. “W-what is that?” she whispered softly.

 _“I’m helping. Well trying to. I can’t heal you but I can provide something like… comfort I suppose you would call it. I’m using my magic to try to soothe your soul. It’s difficult to do that across dimensions though.”_ Gaster’s voice whispered softly from around the woman. Frisk was stunned into silence, but soon a small smile graced her tired features.

“Thank you, Shadow Man. I appreciate it…” Frisk whispered softly in reply. The woman gathered her determination and strength again, knowing that she had to keep moving. Standing to her feet again, Frisk took a deep breath as she felt her head spin slightly but it wasn’t as bad as last time. “Alright, time to keep moving I… I can do this…” The woman spoke in a low tone as she looked at the steam vent puzzle hoping she wouldn’t use too much of her waning stamina to get through it.

~o~o~o~

Sans leaned back into the couch as he watched one of Mettatons rerun programs play as filler until he could get more video of Frisk while Papyrus and Undyne talked about various things that he was drowning out with his own thoughts. The skeleton wasn’t particularly interested in the show but he wanted to know what was going on with Frisk since he wasn’t there. He was hoping that she was doing alright after the fight with the two guards. In this case no news was probably good news, since that meant that Mettaton hadn’t found anything of interest to record yet. Not to mention the lack of déjà vu was slightly comforting to Sans.

The sound of his cell phone ringing quickly snapped Sans out of his thoughts as he pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and glanced at the name. The skeleton hesitated a moment when he saw Alphys name flash across his screen requesting a video call. Standing to his feet he grinned at Papyrus and Undyne who gave him a quizzical look. “I’ve gotta take this bro. I’ll be back in time to catch the next part of Mettaton’s show.” Sans explained in a calm tone as he walked into the kitchen accepting the call.

“Hiya.” He answered lazily with a grin as he watched the lizard woman appear on his phone screen. He winced inwardly at the slight glare and serious look that the doctor was giving him now. “What’s up Alphys?” He asked in a calm tone.

“Listen here Sans. I d-don’t know wh-what made you decide to leave b-b-but the human… no, Frisk, can’t do it o-on her own. S-Sans… she needs you…” Alphys was almost to the point of begging with the skeleton to do something… anything for the woman.

“Alphys… like I said, I CAN’T do it. I know you don’t understand but… I have a good reason. I just can’t help her…” Sans replied as he ran his free hand over the back of his skull, his eye sockets unable to meet Alphys gaze.

“Sans… there’s something you need to see then. I didn’t want to have to show you this b-but I guess… you leave me with n-no choice.” Alphys muttered in a frustrated tone as she plugged her phone into her computer and then selected a video clip to play for the skeleton. “Th-this just happened recently… y-you need to understand just what Frisk is going through while doing this. W-why she needs your help.” The doctor sighed softly as she played the feed from her security camera.

Sans watched as the video showed an over head view of an area in Hotland that contained a steam vent puzzle. The skeleton watched the scene unfold that Alphys had just watched, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he wasn’t surprised to see Frisk exhausted. Not that it made him feel any less guilty knowing this.

“Look I get that she’s pretty beat from all this. Who wouldn’t be? I still can’t help her though, I’m not her babysitter…” Sans started to speak as he tried to ignore the thrum of guilt that rattled his bones slightly.

“It’s not that… just wait a little bit longer…” Alphys’ voice interrupted in a slightly sharp tone from the other end of the call. The lizard woman was having a hard time just watching it again, she didn’t know how Sans could stay so calm.

He saw the woman make an attempt to stand again before struggling and then falling back to the ground. After a moment of silence the skeleton heard her sob of despair. It froze him from speaking, as he had never heard Frisk actually cry. She had always seemed too strong and stubborn to break down like that. “I can’t do it!” the woman cried out the phrase repeatedly as she sobbed into her arms now.

“Please! I can’t…I can’t. Make it stop!” she continued to sob as she pulled her legs closer to her chest. Sans glanced away from the video feed on his phone, his grip on the object tightening dangerously around it.

“Alphys… turn it off…” the skeleton warned in a dangerously calm tone. Sans felt the guilt weighing heavily on his soul as he tried to ignore the sharp pain that filled it. He heard the woman sob again as she said something into her arms. While he couldn’t be sure, it sounded suspiciously like “Let it end”. His grip tightened unintentionally on the phone causing a faint crunching to come from it. “Now!” he snapped in a slightly louder voice than he had intended.

Alphys flinched at the sound of his voice as she quickly stopped the video before she aggravated him even more. The doctor hoped she had gotten her point across to the skeleton about Frisk needing his help. “Y-y-you needed to h-h-hear that. Sh-she is alright now and continuing on but… wh-who knows for how long…” the lizard woman spoke in a soft, worried sounding tone.

Sans breathed heavily as he reflexively put his hand over his left eye where he felt the heat from his magic after losing his temper. He growled slightly at being trapped between a rock and a hard spot in this situation. _“I WANT to help her… but if what Gaster said is true I might do more harm than good. Right now though… I could care less about what he said… Frisk giving up doesn’t sit well with me.”_ Sans mentally argued with himself as he tried to calm his magic down.

“SANS! THE SHOW IS BACK ON, HURRY UP!” Sans heard Papyrus call from the living room. The skeleton’s eyes snapped open at his brother’s words as he inhaled sharply. “OH THIS EPISODE HAS A SPECIAL GUEST TOO! SAAANS!”

“O-o-oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no!” Sans heard Alphys panicked voice on the other end of the phone quickly prompting the skeleton to hang up and find out just what was going on now. Trying to get his magic and emotions under control before entering the room was damn near out of the question, but he did calm himself down enough that it wouldn’t be too obvious if he kept his left eye socket closed.

“Coming bro.” Sans called out in a forced calm tone as he tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket along with his hands and made his way back into the living room. Glancing at the image on the TV in front of them made his mind go blank as he forgot about keeping his magic under control. His eye sockets grew wide as he stared at the screen, his left eye emitting a faint blue glow. Sans felt dread begin to creep into his soul as he stood frozen in the doorway, as anything both Papyrus and Undyne were saying was drown out again by panic. _“Shit…”_ the word echoed repeatedly in the skeletons mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to Ivytale! I know I said I'd try to upload once a month, some unfortunate situations came up with work and I was pulled away from writing for the most part once again. Once I did come back I had partially written this chapter and decided that it needed to be revamped so I went back and rewrote the chapter to something I think is a better quality for all of you, my lovely readers! I'm pretty happy with how this chapter has worked up, and once again I'm back to my cliff hangers. I'll try not to leave you all in suspense for so long this time. :3
> 
> We've reached the turning point for Miss Frisk. She's at a point where realization is dawning on her that she might not be able to do this in her current state, the question now is does she give up or keep fighting? Will she go back on her word before this is all over and try to do a full timeline reset to avoid the pain the poison inflicts on her, or will she keep going as she is? Then there's Sans as well, he keeps getting pulled into situations where he's going to go back on his word to Gaster. After all the skeleton can only take so much before he snaps, the question is just how much longer will it be until he does?
> 
> So many questions! Hopefully the next chapter can answer some of them for you all. Thank you all once again for the faves, follows, comments and support on this story! I know it's a long time in between chapters now but I promise I won't be giving up on this story any time soon, so if you all are willing to stick with me that's awesome and I appreciate it soooooo very much! If you aren't willing to hang around because of the wait time, I don't blame you at all and I appreciate the fact that you took time to read the story this far.
> 
> See you all in the next chapter! :3


	23. Chapter 20

It had been difficult for her, but Frisk finally managed to get through the steam vent puzzle that she had stumbled upon. Thanks to the mental encouragement from Gaster, she had pushed herself to solve the puzzle set before her, although she was now physically exhausted from it. Pushing herself onward, Frisk knew she couldn’t give herself a moment to rest or her anxiety and fears might catch up to her and cause her to have a breakdown again.

She had come upon another elevator that led to the next area of Hotland. Stepping inside of the elevator, Frisk felt it move upwards. As she stood, the woman felt her eyes begin to grow heavy as her strength wavered and she found herself leaning against the wall of the elevator. _“Can’t fall asleep… I have to keep moving…”_ she fought against her heavy eye lids as they began to close on her. Sleep was a dangerous thing now… something that Frisk was genuinely worried about thanks to the poison that was sapping her strength.

The faint dinging sound the elevator made roused the woman from her sleepy state as she stood straight now giving her head a slight shake to clear the fog that clouded her mind. As the doors opened in front of her revealing the next area of Hotland, Frisk hesitated a moment as she looked around outside just beyond the doors. She was positive there was a trap just waiting for her outside of one of these elevators now that she had reactivated them. Then again from what she gathered of Mettaton’s personality he didn’t really seem like the type to use underhanded tricks since he wanted as many viewers as possible and seemed to want to draw this thing out for as long as he could.

Stepping outside now the woman glanced around the area again. It was an open area with edges that over looked the areas below that she had just traveled through. A short ways ahead of her appeared to be a rocky wall with an archway leading into another area in Hotland. She could see an almost ominous purple glow coming from the area within that caused her to pause in step. Taking a breath to gather her determination, for the first time Frisk consciously focused her soul power on creating a time gap as she had a bad feeling about the area ahead of her. After feeling her power peak she relaxed and opened her eyes now as a faint red glow filled them for a moment before fading. She stared at the cavern ahead of her nervously for a moment before gathering her determination and walking forward towards whatever was waiting for her next.

The woman held her breath as she walked through the archway glancing around inside. The area reminded Frisk a little bit of Waterfall; the minerals in the rock walls were what gave off the eerie purplish glow that filled the cavern around her with a dim light. As her eyes adjusted, Frisk saw that the path forward was a stone bridge like pathway with edges that dropped off into darkness below. That darkness seemed to be unending to the woman as her fear of heights hit her, causing her to break out in a cold sweat. Taking a shaking breath she swallowed and forced herself to walk forward.

~o~o~o~

Unbeknownst to Frisk, Mettaton had hacked into Alphys’ camera system for the time being to use it to broadcast the next episode of his show staring himself and Frisk. “Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemonsters to another exciting episode of Mettaton EX VS The Human! In this thrilling episode the human will meet the lovely Miss Muffet as they travel through Hotland! The spider woman has been holding a grudge against the human and is more than ready to unleash her revenge! Will the human somehow manage to make it out of Spider’s Cave alive or will you all finally see them meet their end? Keep those eyes glued to your screens lovelies!” the announcer’s voice echoed from the TV in the skelebro’s living room. The footage being shown was of Frisk slowly making her way through Spider’s Cave.

A wave of panic washed over Sans as his hands clenched and unclenched nervously in his coat pockets. He watched as Frisk made her way forward now; it hadn’t even crossed his mind to worry about Muffet possibly being a threat for Frisk since the spider normally only desired to make money from her victims, not to physically harm them. The skeleton couldn’t pull his eye sockets away from the TV as he waited, holding his breath and hoping that Muffet wasn’t going to cause Frisk too much trouble.

~o~o~o~

As she walked forward making her way through the dark cavern, Frisk heard a faint skittering sound echoing off of the stone walls around her. The sound make her feel uneasy and nervous as she trembled slightly from built up anxiety. The woman quickly picked up her pace, fearful that this was going to be another fight she couldn’t just run away from. Despite the fact that she had picked up her pace, Frisk felt as though something were slowing her down as she tried to walk forward.

“Why is it so hard to walk?” Frisk whispered in a soft tone as she struggled for a moment more before grabbing her phone from her pocket, using it like a flashlight as she looked at the ground. A white, stringy, web-like substance was spread out in small web-like patches on the floor. Lifting her feet up she saw that the substance had attached itself to her shoes as well as the ground, preventing her from walking properly as it tried to hold her in place.

“Ahuhuhuhuhu… Normally I’m not the kind of monster to kill on sight dearie… however I’m not fond of someone who hates spiders. My sources tell me you caused havoc with our sister clan in the Ruins... ahuhuhuhu, I hope you enjoy karma dearie!” Muffet spoke as the web she stood on above the abyss lit up with her purple magic revealing the monster standing just in front of Frisk now.

Before Frisk had a chance to reply the web that now covered her shoes began to glow a bright purple as well. Frisk gave a small groan as the magic moved through her body causing her to become paralyzed as her legs began to give out. She struggled to fight against the magic, but soon found herself sinking involuntarily to the ground. “W-wait! I didn’t do anything to them!” Frisk tried to defend herself. A shadow appeared above the woman causing her to look upwards; she gave a faint whimper as her eyes widened fearfully. Above her loomed a large, round, hairy spider like monster; its blood red eyes stared at her from the darkness as it breathed heavily onto her. Its wide mouth was agape, revealing pointed fangs as purple saliva dripped from its mouth onto the path just in front of Frisk.

“Ahuhuhu, meet my lovely pet dearie. He’s just been DYING to meet you!” Muffet giggled slightly at the turn of events. She had been expecting more from the human, this victory felt a little cheap to the monster but she would take it for revenge for the spiders in the Ruins.

 _“I have no choice but to take this loss... I know what to do next time though, as long as I have the energy to keep going… I’ll be okay next time... m-maybe…”_ The woman closed her eyes not wanting to see her death coming as she sensed Muffet’s pet descend down towards her.

~o~o~o~

“O-o-oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no!” Sans heard Alphys’ panicked voice on the other end of the phone as he stood numbly back in the kitchen again. It wasn’t enough that he had to remember every time Frisk died, but the image of the close up Mettaton had decided to do on her for dramatic measure just before she died seemed to be burned into the back of his mind. The shift from fear to acceptance was less than a moment as the woman realized there was nothing she could do this time. The fact that her eyes turned blank in that moment sent a chill down the skeleton’s spine. _“I can’t keep sitting by and watching this happen… despite what Gaster wants. Honestly, how much more can her soul take before she loses her determination?”_ Sans thought silently to himself as his eye sockets narrowed into a slight glare as his frustration reached its peak.

“OH GOODNESS! WHAT A TRICK BY MUFFET! SHE’S CERTAINTLY QUITE THE CLEVER SPIDER!” Papyrus stared at the TV in awe as he watched the fight between Muffet and the human play out. Even the taller skeleton was a little hesitant to cheer on Muffet as it seemed the human didn’t want to hurt her, but he was definitely impressed with how she had stopped the human.

“Eh, it’s not that impressive you dork. If the human was paying better attention they wouldn’t have gotten tripped up by that.” Undyne gave a slight snort of irritation as she watched the screen. While she still wasn’t on friendly terms with Frisk, the fish woman would admit that even she was subconsciously finding herself rooting the human on with a begrudging respect. “Looks like her time has run out though…” Undyne muttered under her breath as she watched Muffet advance towards Frisk.

Snapping out of his thoughts, the skeleton heard a commotion from the TV in the living room and from his brother. The words and sounds were a bit jumbled in the skeleton’s numb mind as he tried to sort through them without actually being in there to see what was going on. _“I can’t teleport her right to the King’s castle, his magic is too strong for that. I should be able to teleport her out of this fight and save her from having to decide between sparing or stopping Muffet though.”_ Sans realized as he growled at himself, frustrated that he didn’t think of this sooner.

The air around the skeleton crackled with magic as he vanished from the kitchen quickly. _“Frisk is gonna be alright this time. I shouldn’t have any issues teleporting her out if I block off Muffet.”_ He reassured himself as he moved through his shortcut with practiced ease to appear in Spider’s Cave.

~o~o~o~

Frisk sat panting on the ground after having dealt with the lingering pain of the last death. She didn’t want to dwell on how she had died, as that was probably the most painful death she had gone through up to this point. “Come on Frisk, get up. If I can avoid the start of the fight, maybe I don’t have to finish it. I-I think I have the energy to run straight through.” The woman muttered to herself as she struggled to her feet. She felt light headed but tried to ignore this as she took several deep breaths to try to get air to flow through her body again. “Alright… just run straight through… easy enough I hope.” Frisk spoke as she stared hesitantly at the stone archway before walking forward.

Walking in the woman heard the sound of spiders skittering around her again. Taking a breath, Frisk allowed her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light before taking off at a run. The sound of her heavy footfalls against the rocky ground echoed around her, she hoped if she moved fast enough the spider monster’s webs wouldn’t have enough time to attach to her shoes. She had to be weary of the paralyzing magic the spider seemed to have as well.

These thoughts whirled in her mind as she sprinted forward. “Ahuhuhuhu… run little fly, run. The more you struggle, the tighter my webs become…” Muffet’s voice echoed around her sending a chill down Frisk’s spine as she tried to ignore her worry and just run.

In the darkness of the cavern Frisk couldn’t see very well, and Muffet assumed this would be the case as her clan mates worked quickly to create a curtain like web. They hung it well ahead of the human, directly in her way seeing as there was really only one way to go on the narrow path.

Frisk glanced back behind her not seeing the spider woman or her pet pursuing her. Confusion flickered across the woman’s face before she focused on running forward again. _“Just keep running, don’t ask questions…”_ the woman thought silently to herself as she began panting slightly, feeling her energy begin to wane as sweat lined her brow. A glint from the purple light was enough for Frisk to see the spider web curtain just a little too late as she ran into it.

Frisk gasped slightly as she felt the strands drape over her now, sticking to her face, hair and skin. It wasn’t enough to stop her in her tracks but Frisk felt the web starting to hinder her running. “Damn it…” the woman panted as she kept running.

“Ahuhuhu… you won’t run far little fly. My web has you snared.” Muffet’s voice laughed slightly from the darkness as her magic began to flow across the ground web towards Frisk now. As magic tendrils reached for the web that surrounded the woman, Frisk felt a familiar tingling sensation as it began to paralyze her.

“N-not again…” Frisk whispered in a low tone as she stumbled slightly in her run; as she lost her footing the woman fell and landed with a loud thud on the ground. Her eyes snapped closed as she resisted the urge to cry as she felt the web on the ground and the web on her begin to bind her in its grip. Her labored breathing could be heard in the darkness as she struggled to open her eyes.

“My, my you certainly worked up my pet’s appetite human. It’s a shame you weren’t quite fast enough. Look ahead and you’ll see the exit.” Muffet spoke in a taunting tone as she walked towards the human now, her pet following behind as saliva formed a trail behind it on the ground. Frisk looked ahead as the spider woman instructed and saw the exit about 50 feet away from her.

“Ahuhuhuhuhu… Normally I’m not the kind of monster to kill on sight dearie… however I’m not fond of someone who hates spiders. My sources tell me you caused havoc with our sister clan in the Ruins... ahuhuhuhu, I hope you enjoy karma dearie!” Muffet spoke as she came to a stop and looked back at her pet, gesturing for the creature to make its move.

Frisk snapped her eyes closed as she heard the skittering of large spider legs heading towards her. She was going to die again… was there really any way for her to get away from Muffet? The spider woman was so intent on killing her on sight for something she didn’t even do. _“I’ll have to think about my next move carefully now…”_ Frisk thought to herself as her body went limp in acceptance, knowing that she didn’t really have any other options here.

Suddenly the air around her crackled with magic. It was a familiar feeling magic that had a slightly cool chill to it, but despite that Frisk felt… safe for the first time since Waterfall. The sound and feel of something rising up out of the ground caused the woman’s eyes to open slowly as she tried to move her head and look back although it was a failed attempt. A hand was placed on her side as she felt the cool magic begin to engulf her, similar to a gentle winter breeze. “Hold on Sugar. I’ll get you out of here.” Sans’ voice spoke from the darkness.

Emotion overcame Frisk as she resisted the urge to cry from happiness. “S-Sans…” she whispered weakly to the skeleton as she felt the binding web melt away from her body, a smile passed over her face as she relaxed for just a moment. The skeleton helped her to sit up, where she saw he had made a wall of bones to protect them for a minute and she saw that he had used his magic to clear the spider webs on the ground around them to give them a bit of safety. “I-I can’t run… and the webs, they’ll snare you in them too if you stay in place too long.” Frisk warned in a weak tone.

“We aren’t gonna run Angel. I’m gonna use a short cut to get us outta here.” Sans spoke in a reassuring tone as he placed a hand on her shoulder and focused his magic to open a short cut for them. Relief was brief for Frisk. As she thought maybe she was going to get out of this, the dark purple mark on her skin glowed bright in response to Sans’ teleportation magic.

A white hot pain seared across Frisk’s skin as she screamed, her whole body wracked in pain. The magic was determined to make sure she finished this fight in one of two ways, either by killing or sparing the spider. “S-Sans! Stop! Stop! Your magic is hurting me!” Frisk yelled in a loud tone causing the skeleton to pull his hand back away from her body quickly.

“Frisk! Angel?! Are you alright? Talk to me!” Sans’ eye sockets widened in panic as the woman threw her hands out in front of her on  the ground, taking shaky breaths as the pain lingered a moment then subsided and the glow from the mark faded away. With his concentration broken, his bone wall vanished as well leaving them open to Muffet and her pet now.

“G-go… before she gets you too…” the woman whispered as she looked behind them now to see Muffet staring at the pair with her five narrowed eyes. Frisk tried to stand, but the effects of Muffet’s paralyzing magic, along with the pain from Sans’ magic left the woman too weak. All she could do is look back at the spider woman.

Ignoring Frisk’s plea to run away Sans took a breath as he tucked his hands in his coat pockets and walked forward, his eternal grin looked small and serious now as he stood between the two as a barrier. Obviously using a short cut was out of the picture so he would just have to stop Muffet in order to protect the woman. Frisk still had fight in her, but her body was definitely a lot weaker than what it had been last time he had seen her. A flicker of guilt rippled through his soul before he pushed it down.

“Sans… do not interfere with what I must do to avenge our sister clan from the Ruins…” Muffet spoke in a soft, dangerous sounding tone now as she stared at the skeleton in front of her. Why he had decided to protect the human was beyond her but there was no time to dwell on it.

“Heh… I dunno what or who told ya that she hurt your clan, but I’ve been keeping an eye on the human since she’s left the Ruins a few weeks ago. I don’t think that Frisk would hurt a fly, let alone your sister clan. So I’m gonna give ya one warning. Let the human go without any more trouble…” Sans replied to the spider woman in a cool, calm tone as he looked at her with narrowed eye sockets; his left eye was ablaze with his magic as he did little to conceal it.

“Sans… please, don’t…” Frisk’s voice could be heard weakly from behind him; however he paid her no mind at the moment. The skeleton was focused completely on making sure the woman didn’t have to Reset yet again thanks to the monster that stood in front of him.

“Then by all means skeleton, show me proof that she didn’t hurt a spider in there. My informant has told me otherwise and has shown me proof that one of my own was killed.” Muffet responded in a dark, anger filled tone as her own eyes began to glow ever so faintly in the dim light. She had four of her fists clenched in front of her out of anger now as she glared at the pair.

Sans cast a glance back at Frisk over his shoulder, giving her the opportunity to defend herself against what Muffet was claiming. Frisk’s tired eyes were wide with confusion before she shook her head at the accusation. “But… I didn’t hurt anyone I swear it! When I found the Spider Bake Sale in the Ruins I couldn’t buy anything because I had no money… b-but I didn’t squish anyone while I was there! Really, you have to believe me.” The woman pleaded in a weak tone as she stared at Muffet, not sure just who her informant was or how they had convinced her that it had been Frisk who had done it.

“Tch. I don’t believe you for a second human. I want proof that you didn’t do it, your word means nothing when I have a body as proof.” Muffet responded in anger as she glared at Frisk. Making a quick move the spider woman formed a sphere of magic in her palm before shooting it forward at Sans with deadly accuracy.

The skeleton watched as the magic formed into a web-like net that was meant to snare him. His own magic flared as a wall of bones rose up again protecting him from her attack. Upon contact he heard a faint hissing sound coming from her attack as well as some purple vapors rising up into the air. Giving a almost silent grunt, Sans felt a small portion of his magic drained from him. _“Damn it! I forgot how much of a threat Muffet really is!”_ Sans mentally yelled at himself as he realized her magic was able to drain his in the same way she had drained the human’s energy. As the bone wall lowered Sans regained his composure as his grin lifted into a slight smirk. “Heh you need to do better than that Muffet.”

“Oh, really? You’re not going to give me a choice but to go through you to get to the human?” Muffet asked as she gave Sans a hard stare. The monster respected him quite a bit since he had helped out her cause in the past, so she didn’t have any desire to hurt him, but if he was going to stand between her and the human then Muffet didn’t have a choice. Sans didn’t bother with an answer as he remained between the two. “It looks as though the culprit has managed to snare the judge and jury in her web of lies. I won’t be convinced so easily though. If I have to fight you to get to her, then so be it.” Muffet replied as she formed magic in her hands again before placing her palms on the ground on the web around her.

A large horde of small, purple spiders began to emerge from the web’s threads as they quickly made their way towards Sans, creating more of the ground web that he had burned away with his magic. Seeing her do this, Sans formed several bones above him, all of them coated with blue flames of magic that flickered in the air before he directed them forward towards the horde. As the bones hit the ground the fire magic that surrounded them burned away a small section of web and spiders in the area around it.

Muffet growled slightly now drawing up more magic to use multiple attacks at once since her single attacks weren’t draining his magic nearly fast enough. Raising all six arms into the air, Muffet formed what looked to be a set of donuts in one pair of hands, a set of croissants in one pair of hands and in the last pair she formed magic like she just had to create the magic spiders.

Finally feeling some of her strength return, Frisk pushed herself to stand on a pair of wobbly legs as the two monsters fought. _“I need to stop this before it goes any further.”_ The woman panicked slightly as she tried to think of some way to stop the fight without risking a Reset. The woman was so focused on the fight that she didn’t notice Muffet’s pet had vanished into the darkness. The monster now hovered over the woman waiting for just the right time to descent down upon her.

Sans dodged both the croissants a bit too easily, as if Muffet hadn’t necessarily been aiming for him as they disappeared into the darkness behind him. Her donuts though were a bit harder as they started out small, bounced off of the ground, then seemed to shift into more of a ring as it tried to land around him so Muffet could bind him and drain his magic. To avoid a direct hit, Sans shot bones into the rings causing them to wrap around his attack. This still drained a portion of his magic, but not as much as a direct hit would have. A bead of sweat rolled down his skull as the skeleton’s breathing became a bit more labored than it was before. Doing this without the intent to harm his opponent was making this fight difficult. Quickly placing his hand on the ground he expelled blue fire magic into the ground around him to stop the advancing magic spiders that were nearly on top of him now.

An odd feeling of dread chilled Frisk to her soul as she watched Sans struggle to stand back up right now. In the back of her mind, she vaguely recalled Alphys lecturing him on the dangers of using so much magical energy while she had been physically unconscious but mentally awake in The Void. Feeling her determination rise up, the woman knew she had to stop this fight as quickly as she could.

Muffet’s pet gave a slight growl as it dropped from the ceiling behind the human now, nearly almost on top of her. Frisk gave a scream as she took a step back, nearly tripping as she did. Her hand quickly moved to the pan she had grabbed to defend herself, although she didn’t want to strike the monster if she could help it to prevent another mark on her soul. The monsters jaws opened wide as it dove forward to try to eat the human in one bite.

Frisk’s eyes widened in panic as she saw this, _“Just hit the damn thing and run!”_ Chara’s voice echoed in her mind. “N-no!” Frisk shook her head in a panic as she tried to move backwards, however she was going to lead the creature closer to Sans and put him in more danger. As the monster’s mouth chomped down just in front of her, Frisk quickly reacted and shoved the pan vertically into the monsters mouth, causing it to get stuck in between two of the monsters teeth temporarily stunning it.

Sans turned back towards Frisk now as he saw Muffet’s pet advancing towards her. “Frisk! Damn it, look out!” The skeleton yelled as he fired a barrage of bones at the creature to fight it off. While he was distracted, Muffet took the opportunity to send her donut attack at Sans now as one of them fell over the skeleton before latching onto him, pinning his arms at his sides as she absorbed some of his magic, causing him to fall to his knees. She knew she couldn’t absorb too much or she would risk killing Sans, and she didn’t want that, so she quickly dispelled the magic causing the skeleton to throw out his arms to catch himself before he could land face first on the ground.

“Sans! Muffet, please stop!” Frisk found herself yelling in a panicked tone as her body moved forward on its own. Her mind was replaying the fight with Undyne and the unnecessary death of her friend that had caused her to force a Reset. “No, no, no, no!” the woman cried in a panic as a few tears rolled down her cheeks out of fear. She dropped down in front of him, hearing his labored breathing. “Sans! Sans are you alright? Please… please say something.” She whimpered in a panicked tone as she gently placed a hand on his mandible to lift his skull to face her. His gaze looked tired, but relieved at the same time to see that she was alright.

“H-heh, sorry I wasn’t much help. Muffet had my attention snared for a bit.” The skeleton spoke in a breathless tone as he fought with himself to stay conscious now. Despite the situation a little smile lifted the corner of her mouth as she gave a slight laugh.

“It’s alright, I know this situation is a bit sticky right now.” Frisk replied trying to calm down as her heart hammered loudly in her chest. Sans returned her laugh with one of his own as he tried to catch his breath.

The moment of peace was short lived for them as a low “whirring” sound could be heard coming from the darkness behind Frisk. Sans glanced back behind the woman to see the two purple croissants Muffet had attacked with earlier coming back at the pair like boomerangs returning to their master. “Frisk, watch it!” the skeleton reacted a lot quicker than he thought was possible for him right now.

Quickly sitting back on his legs he grabbed the woman’s wrists in his hands, pulling her forward now. “Oof! S-Sans?” Frisk squeaked out her response as she was pulled on top of him now, confusion flickered across her face at the action.

Not having the time to answer right then, Sans wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to him before quickly rolling both of them to the right onto their sides. He was worried about rolling any further than that because of how narrow the pathway was, and the seemingly endless drop they faced if he rolled them too far.

Keeping a tight hold on the woman’s back with one hand the other pressed her head against his sternum. She felt his mandible resting on top of her head as he held her there. Resisting the urge to struggle, Frisk’s whole body grew tense as she heard the loud crash just behind Sans where Muffet’s attack crashed into the ground.

Placing the palm of her hand gently against his sternum, Frisk pushed back a little bit as she lifted her head to look at the skeleton that had saved her yet again to make sure he was alright. Her brown eyes were wide in shock as she stared up at Sans. His white pupils looked back at her from beneath a half lidded gaze as exhaustion began to weigh heavily on him. His soft grin appeared relieved though as she shifted beneath his grip on her. The woman felt an odd sensation ripple through her soul as she stared at the soft expression on his face now. “Sans? A-are you alright?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Heh, that was a pretty close call. Thankfully I’m just big boned and not doughy, but I butter be more careful I guess.” He tried his best to ease her worry and lighten the situation, but the skeleton knew that Muffet wouldn’t hold off for long. “We’ll ketchup later Angel.” Sans ran his hand affectionately over the back of her head and gave her a wink of his eye socket before forcing himself to stand back up. “Heh not bad Muffet, but I’m still standing. You’re going to have to do better than that if you want the human’s soul.” Sans warned as he wobbled a little bit while he regained his footing but kept himself between the spider woman and the human.

“Sans… you and I both know you can’t keep fighting. Your magic levels are nearly depleted and pushing yourself further will only end up hurting you… or worse.” Muffet replied in a matter of fact tone as she glared at the skeleton in irritation now. She put her hands on her hips as she watched Sans refuse to move from his spot between the two. The spider woman’s resolve wavered a bit; while she wanted revenge she didn’t have any desire to kill another monster to achieve it.

“Sans! Please, stop. You’ve done enough for me! Just... just let me try talking to her.” Frisk begged as her voice cracked from the fear of him hurting himself for her. Sans glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye socket as the woman struggled to stand to her feet.

“She’s not going to listen to what you have to say Frisk. I think we’ve already come to that conclusion.  Stay there, and don’t put yourself in anymore danger.” The skeleton replied in a cool tone as he returned his gaze to the spider.

“Please Muffet! Please just listen to what I have to say!” Frisk begged in a desperate sounding tone as she shifted her gaze to the spider woman who kept her gaze on Sans. “I don’t know who told you I would do something so horrible to your clan mates. I don’t know how they had proof to convince you that it was me specifically that killed a spider, but I never hurt anyone in your sister clan! I… I didn’t…” Frisk wasn’t sure just what to say to convince Muffet otherwise, she had no proof that what she was saying was true.

Muffet clenched her fists again as anger flickered over her face. The human didn’t APPEAR to be bad as her informant had told her, but she had a body that proved that someone had indeed squished and killed a spider in the Ruins. Another monster couldn’t be responsible for it… could they? Would the monster that told her about the human do something that extreme just to set her up? Muffet debated for a moment before shifting her gaze up to the ceiling.

“Miss Muffet! Miss Muffet! Please wait, we just received a telegram from the shop in the Ruins!” A high pitched, squeaky voice called out to the spider as one of her clan mates dropped down from the ceiling quickly holding a piece of paper for the monster. Muffet grabbed the paper from the spider roughly before narrowing her eyes as she read over the telegram. If she had looked angry before it was nothing like the look of fury that crossed over the spider’s face now. Sans shifted slightly now, waiting for another potential attack from the spider.

Closing her five eyes the spider woman inhaled deeply as she tried to calm her anger. “I have been fooled.” Muffet conceded as she lifted her gaze directly to Frisk’s now, staring at the woman with an apologetic look on her face. “I apologize for the trouble I have caused you hu… ah, Frisk was it?” the spider woman spoke in a soft tone now.

“Er… u-uh, yes?” The woman stuttered slightly. Her eyes were wide with confusion at the process she had just seen Muffet go through, from frustration, to furry, to a calm but angry look on her face. She couldn’t recall seeing anyone change emotions quite so quick and was curious about the telegram now.

“This telegram is from the spider in charge of running the shop in the Ruins. While it is true that one of the spiders there is missing… the shop keeper says it happened just two days ago. I know the trip from the Ruins to here would take a lot longer than that on foot. This is proof that you did not bring harm to the spider I was told about. I… sincerely apologize for my behavior leading up to this point Miss Frisk, and my attempts to kill you.” Muffet spoke in a calm, soft tone as she bowed her head in apology to the human before her.

“H-huh? Um… well… I accept the apology, b-but…” Frisk stuttered, not sure how to respond now as the situation just took a drastic turn for the better. The woman wasn’t exactly sure how the spiders in the Ruins had known what was going on with Muffet, since based on her reaction Frisk doubted the spider woman took the time to contact her sister clan. She stole a glance at the skeleton who couldn’t seem to believe the luck either as his eye sockets narrowed in suspicion at the spider.

Muffet’s gaze followed Frisk’s as it fell to Sans as well. She realized what the problem was quickly, while the human might be willing to forgive her, Sans probably wouldn’t at this point considering all the trouble she had caused for him in their fight. “Ah… I understand.” She bowed her head apologetically at the skeleton as well. “I apologize to you as well Sans. My misunderstanding caused a lot of trouble for you as well. I understand you may not forgive me but I still offer the apology anyways.”

Turning to Frisk now a small smile lifted the corner of Muffet’s mouth. “I also have a message for you from the caretaker of the Ruins. ‘Please be safe my child. I see the journey has not been easy for you but I believe you can continue to do the right thing. Remain a beacon of light for the Underground, my child.’ Someone in the Ruins cares a lot about you Frisk.” Muffet spoke with a slight sigh as she bowed her head apologetically again to the two. “I must take my leave now as I have a liar to try to find and make pay for what he’s done. You are free to continue through Hotland, Frisk.” The spider woman spoke giving a small wave back at the two as she turned quickly and made her way out of Spider’s Cave with her pet skittering quickly behind her.

The woman blinked her eyes at the quick turn of events as she sunk to her knees in a daze, her heart hammered loudly in her ears now before tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes, a few escaping and trailing down her cheeks. “T-Toriel… thank you for your help.” She whispered softly as she wiped at the tears. Sans looked over at Frisk with a blink of his eye sockets as she uttered the name in a soft voice.

 _“Toriel huh? Well we still haven’t been properly introduced so I don’t think it’s fair to call her by that name.”_ Sans thought silently to himself as his grin seemed to get a little bigger. “Thanks Old Lady. You couldn’t have picked a better time to intervene.” The skeleton muttered under his breath as a feeling of gratitude filled him as well.

Blinking his eye sockets as realization dawned on him, The skeleton quickly moved towards Frisk now as the woman tried to stand. He wrapped an arm around her in a hug again as his other hand rested against the back of her skull. “You do realize you just ‘spared’ Muffet right?” He whispered softly to the woman who froze before her body began to tremble slightly. Lowering them both to the ground, Sans held her close to him in an attempt to give her some comfort. “I’ll be here when you wake up this time, Angel. I promise.” Sans spoke is a soft, soothing tone as he felt her shaking more now.

“I won’t last long. I haven’t been able to stay conscious very long these last few times. D-don’t leave me… please.” Frisk whimpered softly as she snapped her eyes closed and buried her face into the shoulder of his jacket. The familiar and nostalgic scent of Snowdin lingered on his jacket, providing her more comfort as she wrapped her arms around his lower rib cage holding herself close to him as she waited for the waves of pain to hit her.

_*MUFFET WAS SPARED*_

Frisk gave a loud cry of pain that she tried to use Sans’ coat to muffle as she pressed her face hard into his clavicle. Extending beyond just the pain now, Frisk felt the faint sensation of pins and needles on her skin as the cursed mark on her skin spread again like ivy taking over its host. She didn’t have the energy to scream as the sensation and the pain coursed through her body. “It hurts, it hurts!” she whimpered over and over again as her fingers dug into the back of his coat. “M-make… it… s-st-stop…” Her words slurred as she begged weakly as her mind grew numb. Dizziness hit the woman and then darkness engulfed her vision before her ears deafened and unconsciousness took her away. Her head turned towards him as her body slumped against Sans; it still involuntarily jerked and twitched from the lingering pain she mentally couldn’t feel anymore but her body physically still could.

The skeleton exhaled faintly as he released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Looking down at her face now he gently wiped away a few tears that trailed down her cheeks. He never would have thought that he would feel such empathy for a human of all things; he never had felt that for them before Frisk. Considering most humans that ended up here did fight at least someone to protect themselves. His grin lifted a little bit now, Frisk was definitely different for a human as she aimed only to break the barrier for them, not really to escape herself.

Sans suddenly felt a feeling of dread hit him as if his soul knew something he didn’t, prompting him to take a closer look at Frisk. Laying her down on the ground, the skeleton’s eye sockets widened as he stood to his feet now. Her soul was just visible in her chest; it was flickering between visible and not as Frisk mentally fought with herself to keep her determination in her soul as a part of her desperately wanted all this to stop. The woman’s determination seemed to wane as her bright red soul became visible to the skeleton now as it rose out of her chest, hovering half a foot above her body.

“Frisk… come on Angel, you can’t give up…” Sans whispered in a low tone. He had seen this happen before to the other humans that had ended up down here. He knew this was the perfect chance for him or any monster to steal her soul as she literally was at death’s door right now. Fear rattled his bones as he stepped back not wanting to accidentally absorb her soul. He couldn’t bring himself to be the one to take it. “Angel… please… don’t give up.” Sans begged softly as he stared at the soul in front of him.

“There’s gotta be a way to give her soul its determination back.” He whispered as his white pupils flickered between her and her soul in panicked thought. He tried to focus his mind, as fear and panic seemed to cloud it. _“Snap outta it! Her soul won’t last long outside of her body!”_ the skeleton mentally yelled at himself.

Taking several deep breaths to calm himself down and focus his thoughts the skeleton stared at her soul for a moment. “I think soul power and magic are similar to one another if I remember the old man’s research right. Maybe I can use my magic to transfer some of my own magic to her soul in order to give it a bit of a jump start.” The skeleton spoke to himself as he approached her soul cautiously.

Sans placed his hands on either side of the bright red heart as he focused a small amount of his magical energy into his palms. He knew he had to be careful because he was very close to hurting himself or worse by draining his magic to dangerously low levels. “J-just enough to get through to her, that’s all I need.” He whispered as a blue sphere surrounded the red soul that floated in the air. “Frisk! Come on Angel you can’t give up yet! You’re so close to Asgore right now, you’re so close to showing everyone that not all humans are bad! You need to hold on to your determination… please… don’t give up yet. Be strong, for me.” Sans wasn’t sure if she could hear him on a subconscious level right now but he was hoping she could since this was relying heavily on her being willing to gather her determination once he put what little magic he could into her soul.

He heard a faint whimper escape the woman, and then saw her soul glow a bright red, blinding him slightly as he lowered his hands and looked away from her body. Looking back he saw her soul vanish back into her chest as she gave a slight gasp, inhaling deeply before her breathing returned to normal. Sans gave a groan as he fell back onto the ground as a headache rattled his skull now.

The faint ringing of his phone stopped the skeleton from passing out right then and there as he pulled it out of his pocket to answer it, glancing at the name through blurry vision Sans thought it said Alphys’ as he hit the answer button holding the phone up to his skull. “Hiya… Alph…” he answered in an exhausted tone.

“Sans! You’re going to kill yourself y-y-you m-moron! You haven’t even f-fully recovered fr-from the last time yet a-and you go and p-p-pull this!” Alphys’ normally meek voice yelled into the phone speaker now. A faint cough was given from the skeleton.

“Didn’t… have much of a choice Alph. Muffet was trying as hard as she could to… kill Frisk.” Sans responded in the same tone as before, not particularly bothered that Alphys was yelling at him.

“I mean I g-get that b-but still! I mean… I guess you didn’t have much of a choice, b-b-but d-did you r-really absorb her s-s…” Alphys started to respond as her voice took on an odd tone to it.

“No. I didn’t absorb her soul.” The skeleton answered in a sharp tone now. “Why would I go through all that trouble to just… let her die? I… transferred some of my magic to her soul to try to convert it to soul power and amplify whatever was left of her determination.” Sans mutter as he squeezed his eye sockets closed now as his headache seemed to intensify.

“O-oh… th-that was a good idea actually, except for the fact that you’ve completely exhausted yourself now… for the second time in a very short period of time.” the scientist pointed out in a low tone.

“Yeah… well, I had to do what I had to do. Now I need to find some way to get her to MTT Resort so we can both rest for a few days. I might be able to use a short cut…” Sans muttered trying to talk out what he needed to do.

“You can’t!” Alphys shrieked loudly into the phone causing the skeleton to pull it away from his skull and flinch slightly. “I-i-if you think I’m just going to sit back and let you think th-that’s a good idea you are r-r-really a moron!”

“Well… do you have a better idea Alphys? We can’t just hang out in Spider Cave until I have enough energy to create a short cut safely.” The skeleton snapped slightly in a matter of fact tone. “I never said it was a good idea, but it’s the only option I seem to have at the moment.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before the lizard woman gave a slightly shaky sigh. “I-I… erm… I’ll come up there and help you recover some of your magic. I… h-have a prototype steroid I’ve been working on that will temporarily give you a boost of magical power.” Alphys murmured in a soft tone into the phone. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of making her way up there but the elevator outside of her lab should be up and working now.

Sans was silent for a moment as he took in what she said, he recalled helping her with a few of her prototypes in the past… they didn’t always work out for him, but this option was better than tearing his soul apart by using too much magic. “Alright Alph… just watch out, someone is around causing trouble somewhere in Hotland.” Sans warned the lizard woman in a tired tone.

“I-I-I’ll be alright… just stay put until I get there.” Alphys replied nervously as she hung up the phone and took a few deep breaths to calm her anxiety. The lizard woman quickly texted Undyne to let her know what was going on after Mettaton’s show  cut out before disappearing down into the lower lab to get what she needed.

~o~o~o~

“W-well Ladies and Gentlemonsters unfortunately we seem to have temporarily lost our video feed! However it seems that the human has managed to avoid death not once, not twice, BUT THREE TIMES NOW! How lucky is this human ladies and gentlemonsters?! Stay tuned for the next episode to see if the human’s luck finally runs out!” the announcers voice was extremely strained as the camera turned to static after Muffet admitted that she had been lied to thanks to the telegram.

Undyne sat with her face in her palm now as she sighed slightly to herself. She wasn’t sure exactly how to explain to Papyrus what just happened, granted the skeleton wasn’t stupid; he was just a bit naïve. Sans was going to owe her big time since he decided to intervene in the fight.

“U-UM… UNDYNE?” Papyrus asked in a timid sounding voice as he stared worriedly at the screen. He was obviously aware that he had missed something. Undyne gave a slight sigh and looked over at the skeleton with a serious look on her face.

“Yeah, Papyrus, that was Sans. Yes he was helping out the human.” Undyne answered in a matter of fact tone. She already had a feeling she knew what he was going to ask her and that was part of it.

“SO THE HUMAN THAT METTATON KEEPS SAYING IS BAD. IS THAT THE SAME HUMAN THAT I BEFRIENDED?” Papyrus asked as he looked over at the fish woman. She felt bad for the skeleton as he looked at her with a worried stare.

“Yeah, Papyrus. She’s the same one that was here in Snowdin, and the same one I fought in Waterfall as well.” Undyne confirmed with a nod of her head a she stared ahead at the TV now as it played a rerun of one of Mettaton’s shows.

“IS THAT HUMAN REALLY BAD LIKE METTATON SAYS UNDYNE? OR DOES HE JUST THINK SHE’S BAD BECAUSE OF WHAT EVERYONE SAYS?” Papyrus asked as he stared at the fish woman with wide eyes.

“Do you really have to ask that Papyrus?! You know damn well if she was a bad human Sans wouldn’t be going out of his way to help her! You know how your brother has always felt about humans, and that he’s never gone out of his way to help any of the other ones that had fallen down here in the past. No I don’t think this human is as bad as all of us assume she is.” Undyne growled in frustration with the taller skeleton. She hated admitting this because she still didn’t like Frisk, but even she knew she was wrong to assume the woman should be killed on sight. She nearly fell off the couch when Papyrus quickly stood to his feet. “What are ya doin?” she asked in a gruff sounding tone.

“UNDYNE! THE HUMAN AND MY BROTHER NEED MY HELP, ESPECIALLY IF METTATON IS TRYING TO CONVINCE EVERYONE THAT THE HUMAN IS BAD! THAT MAKES SANS A TARGET AS WELL! AS A FUTURE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, I CAN’T JUST SIT BACK WHILE AN INNOCENT MONSTER AND HUMAN ARE HUNTED DOWN! I’M GOING TO MAKE MY WAY TO HOTLAND AND TRY TO TALK TO METTATON! I NEED TO TRY TO CONVINCE HIM TO LET THEM THROUGH TO ASGORE WITHOUT CAUSING THEM PROBLEMS!” Papyrus responded in a determined tone as he looked back at Undyne with a serious look on his face. He was a bit scared to meet his idol, and worried that the robot wouldn’t listen to his request, but he had to try for Sans’ and Frisk’s sake.

Undyne blinked her eye at the taller skeleton before smirking as she gave a slight chuckle and shook her head at him. He might not necessarily be fighter material because of his optimistic nature, but he sure as hell had a heart of gold. The fish woman wasn’t about to let him walk into trouble on his own. “Well I guess I’ll be keeping you out of trouble then won’t I, you dork?! Come on, let’s go! We’ll have to make tracks fast though since they’re already almost through Hotland.” Undyne grinned widely at the skeleton before she darted out of the door leaving a stunned Papyrus in her wake.

“WAIT UP UNDYNE!” The skeleton yelled as he took off running after the fish woman. The trip to Hotland would take them at least two days to get to where his brother and the human were now if they kept running nonstop. Although Papyrus was sure that they would move on by then he hoped that Sans’ laziness would kick in and buy him and Undyne some time. The skeleton knew it was unlikely that they wouldn’t have to stop for breaks, but he was hopeful that they would get to Mettaton before Sans and Frisk could.

~o~o~o~

The door to the Ruins opened hesitantly as Toriel looked out at the snowy land in front of her. The goat woman took a shaky breath before pulling her hood over her head as she made her way out of the Ruins for the first time in a very long time. She hoped that enough time had passed that no one would recognize her now that she had stepped outside. Although even Toriel knew how rare goat monsters were, so she would stick out like a sore thumb if she didn’t wear her cloak. “I’m on my way my child. Please hold on a little longer.” Toriel spoke quietly out loud as if hoping Frisk could hear her even though they were quite far from one another.

She had taken to watching Mettaton’s show despite how ridiculous it seemed only because it was the only way for her to know just what was going on with the young human that had fallen into the Underground some time ago. At seeing Muffet’s accusations on the TV, Toriel had made her way to the spider’s shop to find out if Frisk had indeed caused them problems. Once she was there and found out that the human had simply said her farewell to the spiders since she didn’t have any money, Toriel asked the shop keeper to send word as quickly as she could to the spiders in Hotland asking them to stop their attack on Frisk since she hadn’t caused any problems.

As she made her way back to her home, Toriel realized that Frisk would be making her way to Asgore soon. After seeing the fight between the spider woman and the skeleton, Toriel pushed herself to face her fears of returning to the Underground and facing Asgore for the human’s sake. While the skeleton seemed to be doing a good job protecting her, Toriel could tell there was something very wrong with Frisk, and it was making the task set before them very difficult. She decided then to make her way through the Underground and try to talk some sense into Asgore before they could get to him.

Her breath billowed up in front of her maw as she made her way towards Snowdin. The goat woman hoped desperately that the River Person was still taking travelers over the water ways between Snowdin and Hotland. It would be the only way she would be able to make good time to get to Frisk and the skeleton before they reached Asgore.

~o~o~o~

Fighting to stay conscious, Sans still lay on the ground as he waited for Alphys to show up. His head still throbbed and it was a bit disorienting for him to move as he found out when he tried to move closer to Frisk to check on her. His hand reflexively moved over his right eye as he gave a slight groan of pain. The sound of feet moving quickly across the ground roused the skeleton as he forced himself to sit up while staring off to the right now.

The skeleton released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as he saw the scientist making her way towards him. “Alph… no problems right?” Sans spoke in a low tone as the scientist make her way towards him in the darkness.

“A-ah well… I ran into M-M-Muffet briefly but she was t-too concerned with something else to pay me any mind.” Alphys responded in a shaky voice as she knelt down next to Sans. “I’m g-g-going to heal you a little b-bit before I give you the prototype. S-since it’s only a t-temporary burst of m-magical energy you’ll be drained when it wears off.” The lizard woman warned him as she put her hands over the skeletons chest where his soul rested, her hands gave off a faint yellow glow as she healed him a little bit. She didn’t have the ability to completely heal the skeleton but something was better than nothing at this point.

Once she was sure he was healed enough, Alphys stood and pulled out a small bottle handing it to Sans. “There’s three pills in there, only take one at a time, and DO NOT take them in the same day. I’m not exactly sure of the side effects of them. Since it’s just a magic enhancer I don’t think it will be bad.” Alphys explained quietly as the skeleton took one of the pills out, and looking at it before giving the scientist a speculative gaze. “W-well you don’t have to take it, b-b-but I couldn’t heal you e-enough to make it so you can use a short cut safely.”

“I don’t have much of a choice then since I don’t want you to screech in my ear again.” Sans grumbled slightly as he eyed the pill again before hesitantly putting it in his mouth. It didn’t have a flavor to it, just some kind of liquid inside. The skeleton coughed a little as the liquid seemed to burn slightly as he felt a tingling sensation moving through his bones. Sans breathed deeply as the tingling sensation grew worse, although it wasn’t unbearable and it didn’t hurt, it just felt weird.

“You might want to take it slow Sans. It’s a weird sensation I know b-but that’s o-one of the more obvious side effects.” Alphys warned as she watched the skeleton stand and flex his hands as if testing his movement.

“I’m fine. It’s not that bad, just uncomfortable is all but I can deal with that.” The skeleton responded as he shrugged out of his coat now and walked over to Frisk. He sat the woman up and put the coat on her zipping up the front and pulling the hood up over her head to hide her face.

“Why would you take her to MTT Resort instead of back to your house in Snowdin? It seems like that would be safer.” Alphys asked as she stood, watching Sans now as he lifted the woman into his arms.

“There’s a possibility that if I try to use a short cut it might hurt Frisk. I just found this out when I tried to get her away from Muffet. If I take her back to Snowdin and then I can’t get her back here for some reason… I’ll have basically killed her because she won’t make the journey through Waterfall and Hotland again. I’m pretty sure she’s running on borrowed time at this point.” He explained to the scientist as he felt his magic building back up quickly. It actually hurt his soul a little but he was choosing to ignore that, hoping that by using some of the magic to create a short cut it would relieve the pain.

“I… I wish I could do more to help her. I s-still can’t figure out wh-what else is causing this curse. Sh-she should have a couple pills left that will help relieve her fatigue, m-make sure she takes them.” Alphys gave a sigh as she felt guilty that she couldn’t help the woman.

“Alright. See ya Alph. Thanks for the help and make sure you watch yourself going back home.” Sans tipped his skull in thanks to the lizard woman before his left eye flared with magic and a short cut opened up in front of him. Walking into the portal the skeleton began to search for an area near MTT Resort for them to exit at.

~o~o~o~

Appearing out in front of the building, Sans gave a groan as his head spun slightly. While he had used up some of the magic boost, it didn’t feel as natural as his own magic normally was and had left him a little disoriented. Taking a few deep breaths the skeleton forced his legs to walk forward into the big building. He was grateful that monsters tended to ask very few questions, so him carrying Frisk in, especially with her disguised in his coat, shouldn’t attract too much attention.

Walking up to the front desk he set Frisk on the ground with her back against the desk before speaking to the monster behind the counter who had a hand for a head. “Hiya bud, you got a room I can rent for a few nights?” Sans asked in what he hoped was calm sounding voice.

“If you got the coin I’m sure I got a room, Bones.” A small mouth in the center of the hands palm replied to Sans in a monotone voice as he checked the screen in front of him to see the list of free rooms. The skeleton dug his hand into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a brown coin bag, he tossed four of the largest coins in the bag onto the counter top. “Sounds good, Bones. Just walk down the hall that branches off the main area to the right there.  You’ll be looking for room number 2.” The monster said handing Sans a key card for the room.

Sans gave a nod to the monster as he tucked the card into his pocket. The skeleton then lifted Frisk from the ground, struggling to keep his balance for a moment as he felt his skull give a slight throb. Shaking his head to clear his vision the skeleton made his way down the right hall now.

Inside of the hotel room now, Sans gave a slight sigh, feeling relieved for the first time in at least a day. The skeleton walked forward towards the large bed that took up the majority of the space available in the room. Laying Frisk down on one side the skeleton ran his hand over his left eye now as his head gave a throb again. Suddenly the world spun as Sans caught himself on the bed before he completely crumpled to the floor as his fatigue suddenly hit him like a blast from one of his Gaster Blasters.

“Damn… that hurts…” The skeleton groaned in a weak tone as he stumbled around to the other side of the bed where he forced himself to crawl up onto it. He felt his exhaustion and fatigue take over as he tipped sideways onto the bed. His vision grew black and he was unconscious before his skull even hit the pillow beneath it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again my lovely readers! I hope you all have enjoyed Chapter 20 of Ivytale! I know it's been a bit of a long wait, but I'm trying to keep my promise to update monthly as best as I can! Hopefully a slightly longer than normal chapter makes up for this :3.
> 
> I think it's best if I explain my views of "monster magic" so this chapter might make more sense. So monsters are born inherently knowing certain kinds of magic. Some can use both offensive and defensive magic, and others are limited to one or the other.
> 
> Sans for example can use offensive magic, such as summoning his Gaster Blasters and his bone attacks. However he's primarily a defensive magic user, i.e. he creates protective barriers both of pure magic and from his bone attacks and short cuts to get out of difficult situations. However Sans doesn't have the ability to use healing magic, he's never been able to draw the right kind of power to be able to do it. Instead of that he has the ability to use his magic to amplify other monster's magic. For instance if he transferred his magic to Papyrus, then Papyrus's bone attacks would do a lot more damage. If he were to transfer it to Alphys' her healing magic would be able to heal more than what she can by herself. He's the only monster in the Underground who can use that particular type of magic so he doesn't understand the "limitations" or "side effects" of the magic himself.
> 
> If you guys are interested at all, I can post a "filler chapter" that goes into greater detail what each monster has for magic in Ivytale. I don't really want to fill up this note with a whole detailed explanation of it since it might be boring for some people.
> 
> So since I'm sure there have been a few of you wondering why Sans didn't just teleport Frisk out of trouble I thought I'd provide an explanation. One is it's not something he necessarily thought of, two when she did a force Reset and "teleported" them back in time she also became sick from the experience, three he is unable to teleport Frisk directly to the castle since Asgore is stronger than him, and four the determination/magic that Flowey used actually is able to interfere with him trying to teleport her out of a fight by causing Frisk pain.
> 
> I'm sure some of you are also wondering why I'm bringing back Toriel, and why I've kept Undyne, Papyrus, and Alphys as constant characters. This is leading up to a "true pacifist ending" for Ivytale basically. Keeping the main characters of Undertale relevant is actually a necessity for the ending of this story. That being said the fights for Mettaton and Asgore may not be what you guys are really thinking they're going to be.
> 
> If you read this far, thanks for sticking through this author note with me guys! I appreciate all of the Kudos, Follows, and comments from all you as always! Thanks for sticking with me through the slow updates as well! This story has kind of evolved on me in ways I wasn't really expecting when I started writing it, but I'm so happy it has, and I'm thankful for every one of you lovely readers who has taken the time to read/ reread my chapters while I update it! Until next time guys, see ya! :3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Undertale: Under the Mountain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7754542) by [CianCat (Scaryblackcatgirl123)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scaryblackcatgirl123/pseuds/CianCat)




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